The good, the bad and the not so cute effects of going off of birth control

For many women birth control is a part of your daily routine, and probably has been for years and years. Whether you went on for protection against pregnancy, to control acne, manage bad cramps or to regulate your period – there comes a time when you may want to go off of the artificial hormone pills. For many women they go off because they’ve been on for so long they want to make sure when they are ready to have a baby that it isn’t a difficult process. Many women also fear that if you are on birth control for 10 years that it will take at least a year for your period to return. Or you may be like me who one day decides that you want to stop taking the pill because you don’t want to put the fake hormones and chemicals in your body anymore. Either way, if you choose to stop there are some things to keep in mind. Sadly, I constantly wonder that if I never went on BC would it have been better for my body in the long term. I know as a teenager and in my 20’s it took forever to even FIND the right birth control for me. I tried so many and almost all of them stunk! I would get bloated, irritable, emotional, tired, water retention… you name it! The only pill that ever worked for me consistently was LoEstrin 24 (the one in the photograph below and above). It was such a low dose I actually stopped getting an actual period for months at a time, and when it did come it was a spot or two…I’d sit there and be like “was that my period?!”  How can that be GOOD or healthy for my body?!

Now that I am getting ready for my wedding in less than a year I am also conscious of wanting to be able to have a baby or two soon after. So I tested going off of birth control to see how long it would take for my period to return. Some side effects of going off the pill cold turkey are weight gain/weight loss, a delayed or infrequent period, increased cramps/PMS symptoms and acne flair ups. Many women report that after going off the pill they went through severe, teenage like acne and break outs. This can be extremely tough to deal with when you are now older and out of that phase. You’ve been confident now for years with clear skin, no break outs, no issues at all. Then all of a sudden you decide to stop taking birth control and now your skin is awful. You are oily, you have painful pimples – the thought of this is terrifying. Who wants to get self conscious of their skin again, avoid going out and choose to sit home on the couch with zit cream instead of being out enjoying time with friends and loved ones.

Don’t feel alone, if you’ve decided to go off hormonal birth control for whatever reason there are some things you can do to help calm the skin during this time of distress/stress on your body. Remember, by going off birth control your hormones are all out of whack. Your skin is now producing more sebum, which holds bacteria. What the pill did to control hormones has now been completely undone and your levels are going crazy. A few weeks after stopping the pill I was fine. I thought this was easy breezy, but a month after I stopped I got my cycle back right away (thankfully, it didn’t take six months like some women report) but boy did it come back with full force: cramps, mood swings, break outs. I was so disheartened. I have had clear skin for years, and here it comes…only one month after stopping birth control and here I had a handful of pimples under the skin rearing their ugly heads. (no pun intended).

What was I going to do? Did I want to run to CVS and refill my prescription and run right back on the pill?

YES! I however have decided that in order to get passed this some day I probably should stick it out. (Update: after stopping taking birth control my period returned almost like clock work a month or so later which I was surprised but happy about. The PMS symptoms did come back in full swing though with bloating, enlarged breasts, tenderness, irritability, craving of foods and mood swings – fun!)

I did some research online and found so many women dealing with this. The products that I was reading to start taking include the following. NOTE – I am not a dermatologist or a nutritionist. All of these recommendations are done because I have tried them and found success. What works for me may not work for everyone but if you are reading this article I bet you are willing to try anything to get past this bumpy road called “breaking out after stopping birth control”

– Saw palmetto (herb, pill form) which is said to have anti androgen properties (not confirmed). Here is a great article I read about saw palmetto and it’s anti androgen benefits here.

– Green tea (the drink or the extract pill) same as the above. Here is a good article on green tea & acne. As an antioxidant I do think its helpful to add to your routine regardless if you have break outs or not. I personally love to put green tea bags in my bottled water and drink tons of it throughout the day.

– Use an exfoliating cleanser (a great one is Burt’s Bee’s). This is my go-to cleanser every day and it has worked for me for years. I have tried a few other cleansers and none come close to this one. It is not harsh on the skin but it helps to get rid of the dead skin cells which are clogging your pores and adding to the breakouts. It’s got calming ingredients like willow bark which helps my skin not feel like dry sand paper.

– Witch hazel/toner (helps to calm the skin and kill the bacteria). Dickinson’s is my favorite and I do this only at night time after I was my make up off with the exfoliating cleanser. Sometimes you will be surprised that your cotton ball still has make up or oil on it. The toner helps to balance the Ph levels in the skin and it feels so refreshing. It does not feel like you just wiped alcohol on your face. You can find this near the peroxide and rubbing alcohol at CVS/Walgreens/Rite Aid.

– an acne spot treatment to help the flair ups you see on the surface. I prefer the Clean & Clear Acne spot treatment. It doesn’t dry out the skin and I apply a thin layer all over my face every night after I let it dry after cleansing and toning. It won’t dry your skin out like other spot treatments do. This helps to shrink the size of any blemish in 2 days maybe 3.

– an oil free moisturizer (oddly enough, if your skin is oily you should use a moisturizer. the reason your skin is producing excess oil is it is not hydrated enough/doesn’t have enough oil. So make sure to moisturize).

– Probiotics (to help keep your gut/stomach healthy). I use a cheweable one 2-3 times a day and it helps to keep your body functioning and removing waste and toxins. I also recommend a digestive enzyme after every meal.

Also important is to keep your hands off your face, don’t pop or touch any pimples you do see, drink LOTS of water and take probiotics to help your gut stay functioning. Give your body a few months to work out the hormone kinks. If you’ve been on the pill for years you will probably go through these early stay “purging” break outs. Your body is trying to adjust its hormones and get back to a healthy rhythm. I know it really is awful to go through, but it will pass.

Hair Loss?

Many readers have told me that after going off of birth control they have lost hair or their hair has gotten noticeably thinner. I will say that any time you play with hormones or your hormones change (IE pregnancy) it will effect your hair. My hair has gotten thinner and breaks more now than before but I try to manage this by taking a few products. I really believe in taking a hair supplement to help with keeping your hair and keeping it healthy. I take a few items that I do recommend if you are interested to try anything to help with the shedding or loss of volume:

1. Viviscal – hair supplement 1 month supply – click here

2. Hair Volume – 30 day supply hair supplement – click here

3. Biotin or Hair, Skin & Nails Supplement –

4. Use a natural or organic shampoo and conditioner – see some here

5. use a moisturizing mask once a week

6. don’t brush wet hair and don’t rub it with a towel when its wet

7. stop using heat and stylers at least 50% less than you do now

8. increase your protein intake

9. take a fish oil supplement

How many of you are in this boat or have gone through it?

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