Are you planning on stopping birth control or have you recently stopped taking it? After many years of suppressing your body’s natural hormones, its important to give your body time to restore its natural rhythm. There are steps you can take to help accelerate the healing process and ease the typical symptoms that come with stopping birth control. These symptoms include irregular cycles, acne, mood swings, and fatigue. Below, I will detail out changes you can make to your day-to-day life that will make birth control detox easier on you and your body.
Fuel Your Body With Nutrient Dense Meals
In order to return to hormone balance and natural ovulation, focusing on specific nutrients can help speed up the process. Your daily intake should include healthy fats, protein, vegetables, living supporting foods, and complex carbohydrates. Foods like avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds, and wild-caught fish help your body naturally make hormones from fat. Protein packed foods like grass-fed beef and chicken, eggs, wild-caught fish, and even lentils support liver detox and help balance blood sugar. Veggies, especially cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and kale help your liver expel and detox from the synthetic hormones. Beets, dandelion greens, and turmeric can also aid in this detoxification process. Last, swapping refined sugars for fiber-rich carbs like sweet potatoes or quinoa can help balance your blood sugar. What you put into your body, truly makes a big difference. This is why nutrient dense meals are your first line of defense when recovering from birth control.
Support Your Liver While It Works To Heal Your Body
Since your liver is working overtime to break down and eliminate the synthetic hormones, it’s important to give this organ some extra love and support during this time. One of the best ways you can do this is with simple hydration. Drinking water throughout the day is a great way to start. You can add lemon for flavor and for an extra detox boost. You can also supercharge your hydration with IV Therapy at Vytal Living. Another great way to support your liver is through sweating. Exercising for 60 minutes a day, visiting the sauna, or trying daily epsom salt baths can all help your body release toxins. My last tip for supporting your liver is something many people forget about, caster oil. Caster oil can be applied to your liver area, which is on the right side of your abdomen. This can help with synthetic hormone detox. Follow these steps and your liver will thank you.
Stabilize Your Blood Sugar
You might be thinking, “What does blood sugar have to do with stopping birth control?” Well, as a matter of fact, imbalanced blood sugar levels can actually make your symptoms worse when coming off birth control, especially acne, mood swings, and cravings. To keep your blood sugar stabilized eat protein, fat, and fiber with each meal. Avoid skipping meals or intermittent fasting. Reduce processed sugars, such as soda and condiments, and refined carbohydrates, like white bread and potato chips. These snacks, drinks, and accompaniments spike insulin levels and interfere with healthy blood sugar levels.
Increase Your Vitamins and Minerals
Did you know birth control actually depletes some vitamins and minerals that are critical for hormone balance? The first is magnesium, which supports stress response as well as progesterone production. To restore your bodies magnesium levels you can eat leafy greens, dark chocolate, and pumpkin seeds. B Vitamins, such as B6 and B12, take a major hit from birth control. These are essential for mood and energy. Consume eggs, meat, and nutritional yeast to increase these levels. Another mineral that is depleted from birth control usage is zinc. Raising your level of zinc will help with both acne and ovulation. You can increase your zinc by eating oysters, beef, and pumpkin seeds. Finally, vitamin D, which is essential for hormone production and the health of your immune system needs to be restored. Getting daily sun exposure or starting a vitamin D supplement can help if your levels are low. Schedule a consultation with one of our providers to talk about getting comprehensive blood work and creating a plan of action to restore your levels to optimal, not just normal.
Work On Your Gut Health
Birth control can do a number on your gut. It can greatly alter gut bacteria and contribute to all sorts of digestive issues. You can take steps to make your gut happy and healthy again by eating fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, or kimchi. Consider a probiotic supplement to restore critical microbes. It’s also important to consume prebiotic fiber, such as onions, garlic, and asparagus, to feed good bacteria and help it thrive.
Restore Balance Through Rest and Relaxation
You may be surprised to learn that hormone balance is greatly dependent on your stress level. I’m here to inform you that chronic stress can even suppress ovulation and prolong your symptoms post birth control. To support your adrenal glands, it’s important to prioritize 7-9 hours of sleep every night, practice yoga, walking, or pilates, try meditation or deep breathing and include adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandhha or rhodiola (make sure to talk to your doctor before taking adaptogenic herbs.) These steps will lower cortisol and support your adrenal glands.
Be Patient & Keep A Journal To Track Progress
Recovery from birth control can take 3-6 months on average, but it can sometimes take even longer for your cycle to regulate. Keep a journal to track your symptoms, cervical mucus, and basal body temperature to understand where you are in your cycle. Don’t know how to track basal body temperature? I’m here to help. To accurately take basal body temperature you’ll need to use a basal thermometer specifically designed to measure small changes. Take your temperature first thing in the morning, before you get out of the bed at the exact same time each day. Oral, vaginal, or rectal methods are all fine, just make sure to use the same method consistently. After recording your temperature each day, you’ll want to look for a pattern. You should see a slight rise, about 0.5-1 degree Fahrenheit after ovulation. Read more about basal body temperature in this article from the Cleveland Clinic.
Don’t Give Up
Stopping birth control can be a big transition. At first, you may experience uncomfortable symptoms, but eventually your body will rebalance itself. Don’t lose hope. With the right support, you can nourish yourself, support your liver and gut, manage stress, and be patient through the process. If you are struggling with birth control recovery or post-pill symptoms, we are here to help. Schedule a free consultation and we will create a personalized plan to help you restore your body’s natural balance and feel your best.
Want to learn more? Read my blog on how birth control can interfere with testing hormones.