Health, Hormones & The Pill
We have started recognising intimacy/sex as an important part of a healthy lifestyle. It’s great that we’re having more open conversations, willing to discuss, explore, experiment. Birth control plays a huge role in this. Apart from STIs, just to be able to have sex without the fear of unwanted pregnancy is immense.
Hormones are chemical messengers, traveling throughout the body, delivering critical information to cells - enabling them to do what is needed to keep the body healthy and functioning properly. They affect processes like growth and development, metabolism, mood, reproduction etc. They are powerful. It takes only a tiny amount to cause big changes which is why too much or too little of a certain hormone can be serious.
Over the years the pill has been recommended by gynaecologists (pregnancy, PCOS) and even dermatologists (skin problems like acne) as a one size fits all. The problem with such hormonal contraceptives is that they’re not just altering the rhythmic production of the hormones, but they contain synthetic hormones. Mother Nature has never seen these at any time in human evolution. In a sense, these synthetic hormones are endocrine disruptors (pseudo-hormones). They can do a few of the same things but not the full job. The end result is a different outcome!
6 decades ago, research was at a time when natural female hormones were barely understood and the health implications were not comprehended. Consequences of taking these pills can be very subtle and take years to manifest. The long time span between starting to use the birth control pill and the appearance of their negative effects makes the recognition of “cause and effect” less obvious.
They can hinder the development of strong bones, negatively impact gut & immune health, damage vaginal & bladder health, impact normal brain function and even cause depression/anxiety. Tissues throughout the body have estrogen and progesterone receptors and there is a robust amount of data showing that these hormones are involved in a multitude of functions, all critical for health. As birth control pills do not contain even a speck of natural hormones and shut down their synthesis, all of the estrogen and progesterone-mediated functions in the body are heavily impacted.
In conclusion, the pill is consumed to tackle skin issues, PCOS, not get pregnant or enjoy natural sex, but knowingly putting synthetic hormones that disrupt the endocrine system into the body, destroying that rhythm and destroying fertility by removing hormones and replacing them with toxins, is simply not a reasonable option. Sadly, fertility and the health of females (and males) are one and the same thing.
A conversation with my clients and partners that I’ve always had is about the use of some sort of protection which is not hormonal contraceptive. I advise men to use the condom not just as protection from STIs but to support their partners long term health. Also, to educate themselves on these things so that they can support the long term health of women around them.
There is research about how intervention in lifestyle through nutrition, movement, sleep and other factors can make PCOS more manageable in most cases. There is no single cure but it’s a good place to start and avoid medical interventions. This holds true for some skin related issues as well.
Disclaimer: This is not medical advise. This is based on my experience, knowledge and research.
