After almost 15 years on the pill, I decided it was time to stop being a science experiment and just be ME. The hormones in BC were affecting my mood swings, weight gain, ability to have a normal period, sex life, etc. So- it was time to end the dependency of that little pill that I put in my body every single day for almost half my life. As a warning- you should always do your own research and consult with your doctor. I decided to keep a journal of what happened when I stopped cold turkey, so, here we go
Week 1: Like everyone on the pill, you start your weeks on Sundays and your period usually shows up around day 1 or 2 of the brown pill week (off week). I decided to stop taking my pills the Monday before my period week. Wednesday rolls around and I had the worst cramps ever, my mood was terrible, and I got my period (almost a week ahead of schedule). I am sure this is completely unrelated, but my breath has been HORRIBLE as well this week
Week 2: The cramps only lasted about 2 days from my period in week 1! I also have ordered an NFP and it is on its way! The one I ordered can be found HERE. This week I seem to be getting a ton of headaches but have had some really amazing lifts at the gym! I do notice a few more breakouts than usual but we have had a lot of family things happen in the past few weeks so I am not sure if it is from stress or the lack of BC
Week 3: The worst week of all. I will say though- my skin has cleared up and reverted back to normal, my headaches have gone away, and I feel more clear. That being said- I have been bleeding for five days straight. And cramping extremely bad. I am still 2 weeks away from what is supposed to be my period, but at this rate- I might need a blood donor
Week 4: No update for this week. Everything went really well. My skin is still clear, my mood is extremely high, my workouts have been better, I feel like I can finally lose weight again, etc!
Month 2: Periods have started to become more normal, however- the ovulation cramps are intense and very painful
Month 3: I seem to be losing fat quicker and gaining muscle much easier. My boobs have felt sorer around my period but that is about it!
Helpful Articles:
https://drbrighten.com/post-birth-control-syndrome/
Thanks for posting this! I am intrigued to know how the next few weeks go for you. Every since you first posted you were stopping it has made me think about how I feel on BC. I have done some research, talked to my doctor, and have made the decision to stop after this sugar pill week. I feel hesitant though, as I feel the repercussions of not taking the pill. I have had some positive and a little negative. I may hold out another month. Please keep sharing – I really appreciate it!
I have not taken BC for 19 years. They are horrible for your body. One thing that I always found amusing was that one of the side effects says “May cause death” that alone was enough for me.
I was forced off the pill after a DVT ok 2017. It took my body like 4 months to sort itself out, my skin changed a lot in those 4 months and I was crazy irregular and crampy ok that time. The 4th month hit and it all just regulated. I definitely felt fewer mood swings off the pill too. It's crazy how much it affects our bodies.
*in not ok, idk what happened there lol
I love that you're sharing and supporting this! I stopped taking BC on 3/25/17. I was tired of feeling like trash all the time and I started to wonder if my husband even knew the reall (fun and exciting) me, since I had been on hormonal contraceptives from the start of our relationship. On top of that, I was struggling BAD with UTI's!! Sure enough, hormonal Contraceptives can cause them! I honestly think I got one and could never get rid of it. I started reading a lot of great articles on the Kindara site regarding how to prep your body to come OFF of BC. Its crazy how it literally destroys our bodies. I always heard that it can take months for all of the hormones to leave your body, but then I was reading where it could take over a year! Well, that was the case for myself. I still get the occasional migraine but nothing like the 2-3 a week I had on BC, then my migraines went to the day before my period and the day I ovulated, which made sense and I was able to prepare for. Now those are gone (I am assuming because my liver is able to process everything better now) I have been able to pin-point my true triggers (heat, lack of food, stress) I am still working on managing how to cool myself (I don't sweat) and I have and extremely high metabolism! So eating enough is hard for me. Anyways, I have just been listening to my body and taking basic precautions to be careful. I have perfect text book cycles and haven't gotten pregnant. I also have only had 1 UTI since and it was a few months after getting off the pill. I can feel my feeling more now lol if that makes sense? It can be a little rough at times but I think its good to be in tune with your emotions and be able to manage them without chemical interference.
Just curious what other form of birth control do you use? I'm looking into stopping my pill also.
Thank you so much for sharing!!
I’m recently engaged and plan to get married in 2022. I’ve been on BC for 10 of the 12 years we’ve been together. We are waiting til we’re married to have a baby but have always feared that because I’ve been on BC for so long that I’ll have a hard time getting pregnant.
Reading your story gives me so much hope!! ❤️
It’s nice to hear that I’m not crazy either, at times I felt so moody and it definitely affected my sex life at some points but I never connected the dots. I’ve been off the pill for a month now and I’m so happy to say that My body feels so much better…healthier even without a constant drug in my system.
Thank you for sharing.
Congratulations on your baby girl ✨