No. I've been on Depo Provera for years, and would not go back to having harsh, horrible, hemorrhagic periods wrought with cramps and depression ever again. I'll take the osteoporosis risk over anemia, misery, and the loss of 5 days of my life every month any day. I don't care if it's not paleo, not natural, etc. Neither are the 280+ chemicals we're born with or the lead I breathed from automobiles as a kid. Birth control and lack of periods, for me, equals freedom.

While I'm not going to argue that the pill is a normal or healthy part of human biology (I'm not qualified to make that call) I will point out that, historically, most women would have spent a decent part of their fertile lives pregnant, altering both hormone levels and the number of cycles they had in a year (or lifetime).

Just one thing out of many to consider.

My biggest regret is taking birth control for about four years. The damage they cause is not worth it. I began them b/c of excruciating cramps/PMS and I wish I had done more to find the root cause of this problem instead of using a drug as a band-aid. You are doing a smart thing to come off of them, it could take your body awhile to come back to normal so the sooner the better! Everyone is different so you may have a great transition.

I went off them about two years ago. My periods have only just become regular in the past three or four months. I also started having pretty severe cystic acne about 4-5 months after I stopped them. I have never had this before in my life and I was already eating paleo/WAPF type diet. I am still struggling with acne now, it's very distressing and if I knew this was such a common problem post-birth control I doubt I would have ever taken those nasty pills.

While I was on them no one ever told me how they cause serious nutrient deficiency esp B-6 and zinc. I had a lot of problems related to these deficiencies a long time after coming off them. I take

On the up side I am no longer having psychotic moods before menstruation. I don't yell/cry at my boyfriend nearly as much ;) My libido is back too. I had terrible mood swings/no libido on the pill, but I ignored them b/c the thought of going back to cramps from hell terrified me.

My advice to you: First off, congrats on making a great decision. Concentrate on you for awhile, really focus on eating the best you can and resting and replenishing your body. The pill is also hell on your gut and adrenals. Lots of mineral rich bone broth really helped me in that arena. Also, if you can do some raw milk kefir for lots of b vitamins. Eat liver! Consider talking to an herbalist or naturopath, they can really help during the transition.

Good Luck!

AFter 12 years on the pill, I went off to get pregnant. After my daughter was born I tried going back on after weaning. After 2 weeks of feeling like crap I stopped and haven't been on if for about 8 years. Best thing I ever did for my health. I thought the pill was making my cycle more regular. I discovered that my cycle is just as regular without it. I feel better, less moody and more energetic. My skin isn't bad (besides zits are an intestinal flora issue).

A great book that helped me and that every young girl should read is, "The Garden of Fertility" by Katie Singer.

Similar question asked here.

My answer: Fertility Awareness Method

I've used fertility awareness method (FAM) with my husband for 4 1/2 years and it's been effective thus far! You just have to get used to taking your temp every morning (or just during your fertile phase) and to checking your vaginal fluids. It's super easy! We just avoid sex when I'm fertile (or we use a condom) and we have sex when I'm not fertile. Takes the guess-work out of it!!

Get this book: Taking Charge of Your Fertility

And visit this website: Taking Charge of Your Fertility

The information in the book will blow your mind. I was sooo mad that I hadn't been taught any of the information found therein while I was in biology class or sex ed in high school. We should all know this stuff!!

And yes... GET OFF THE PILL!!

...

Also, I was horribly hormonal (depressed, pissy, bitchy etc) while on the pill for 6 weeks right before our wedding. So much so that I only lasted 6 weeks on the pill before figuring out FAM and dumping my pills in the trash.

Anjie,

I've probably lost 3 yrs of my life from birth control havoc and trying to get things back under control. A lot of books have helped me to understand what went on b/c no practitioner was knowledgeable enough.

http://drbganimalpharm.blogspot.com/2011/03/bstards-of-mainstreamr-evolutionary.html

Hormones are basically very powerful and as you and others here have mentioned, they shut down the adrenals, hypothalaum and pituitary glands. That is the point -- to stop ovulation, no? Well. That is what we signed up for without being told all of the ramifications -- stop ovulation, stop being a complete (primal) grrrrl, gain body fat, raise insulin, raise CRP, stop normal responses to stress, etc.

My progesterone has increased with taking chasteberry and some other recommended strategies to balance the hormones and to excrete the toxic metabolites (improving liver P450 enzyme systems). I didn't do any hormone testing because the synthetic hormone (levonorgestrel IUD/Mirena) I was on is not detectable without special lab testing. Initially I had progestin toxicity then it turned to frank progesterone deficiency. All birth control with hormones is toxic. When we're primal/paleo and avoid synthetics like plastics, pesticides and other xenoestrogens, what are we doing when we take it in orally or via an intrauterine device voluntarily?

My take is that many things are reversible unfortunately they take time and patience and a lot of persistence despite what the mainstream docs (and pharmacists) will say that these are so-called 'safe'. They are not safe. (and I'm a pharmacist -- and the literature is heavy with side effects. I just wish I heeded the warnings and didn't want to 'control' fertility so much wink ahaa)

Hope you feel better soon!

Grace (aka dr.bg)

I was on birth control from the age of 17-24, when I decided to stop for similar reasons that you are listing- I had cut out all other chemicals, why not this one? When I stopped, though, I didn't get my period back! Doctors only recommended that I go back on birth control (annoying), so I decided to wait it out and let time and diet heal me. It's been 3 years, and I'm finally starting to cycle hormonally again. It's taking a lot of mental and physical adjusting to monthly weight gain, bigger breasts, and major mood swings that I was without for so long- but it is so worth it. I feel like a woman, my libido is great (which had been quite low), and I feel sexy. There is also nothing better (or more paleo, in my opinion) than being linked up with the moon cycles. Our organs are controlled by stars! Incredible!

I have just started on the nuvaring. I couldn't take the PMS depression any more, I must have tried absolutely everything under the sun. I already have a lower libido and am putting on a little weight but anything is better than feeling like dying twice a month (when ovulating and PMS)

Update: When I say it couldn't get worse I was sooo wrong. Good god. 1 and a half months of feeling like I was losing my mind. Off it now and feel so much better.

Yes I stopped the BC pill a few years ago after about 15 years of steady use. My hormones (adrenals and thyroid) went crazy shortly after - they both tanked and I had awful symptoms like palpitations and severe insomnia, etc. It's only my theory that this was connected to stopping the pill, but knowing what I know now about how hormones work together, I would never have started taking it in the first place. What I like to think is that my body was adjusting to producing and regulating hormones by itself and my difficulties are a testament to what a profound effect the pill had on my system, but I'm no doctor so I can't really say...

I just opened PH to search for this very topic and there it was at the top of the list.

I went off Yasmin a few weeks ago - though admittedly it was because my insurance wanted to start charging me $50/month for the name-brand pill, and I was afraid to try the generic based on what I'd read. (Anyone have experience with Ocella?)

I'm hoping that my whole-foods sugar-free diet might mitigate some of the issues - irregularity, acne, PMS Crazytime - that drove me to the pill five years ago. I'm still two weeks away from what should be my period - we'll see if it shows up on time. But yesterday I did sprout my first zit in five years.

It's been easy to think of myself as low-maintenance and above vanity when I was waking up with a perfect complexion every morning, not needing to shave my legs as often, maintaining some semblance of sanity every fourth week... I'll give it a little more time, but I have to say, that one little threat to my face made me want to run right back to the pill pack. What can I say? I want to be natural, but not at the expense of my looks (or my cycle). Paleo postergirl I am not.

I've never gone on the BCP - I had malignant melanoma as a teenager and when the time to find birth control came, I concluded that my body had already shown that it was predisposed to cancer, so through that filter of perhaps fuzzy logic (I had no BCP/melanoma correlation studies, just going on a hunch), I went searching for more natural options and found LadyComp, a cute little alarm clock with attached thermometer that takes basal body temp every morning and assesses your fertility with a very high degree of precision. (I'm not a LadyComp shill, just a satisfied user!)

It worked terrifically for us, and when we finally DID decide to "go for it" during a time the LadyComp said I could be fertile, I conceived right away.

The only catch? I haven't used it since becoming the mom of young kids because my kids' sleep schedules / nursing schedules plus lactational amenorrhea (no ovulation/period while nursing) made it impossible to have predictable sleep for a while, OR to enter a dates of having a period (which the LadyComp also uses in its logarithmic assessments of the user's fertility). SO, that said, I think it is a great best-of-natural-fertility-awareness-plus-modern-technology option for those who have fairly steady sleep schedules (or at least three hours of undisturbed sleep prior to waking in the morning) and are menstruating.

I went off the pill in December after being paleo since June. I was on a low dose pill (Lutera) that I ended up on for the last 10+ years after the first few I tried as a teenager wreaked havoc on my physical and mental stability.

Having lost a bunch of weight last year but feeling weirdly moody/depressed this fall, I thought that perhaps my reduced bodyweight was essentially increasing the amount of hormones I was delivering to my body. I also hadn't had a period in months, the pill having continuously lightened them over the years.

I had a miserable first period after going off the pill (super heavy cramping/bleeding, like I used to pre-pill when I was younger) and almost as bad the second one... but the third, and recently fourth have been pretty darned ok. I got my first period just after my 10th birthday and had 5-6 years of incredibly irregular misery before going on the pill, so I'm very glad my cycle has straightened itself out in the meantime.

Hubby and I in the meantime have been, um, creative, sexually speaking :)

I have not, unfortunately, seen an increase in libido, nor any further weight loss. I do feel a lot better, mentally, but have made some other life changes in the meantime so it's hard to say if it was removing the pill or not.

I'm getting a copper IUD put in on Friday, actually. I was on the fence because we're planning on having a family in the next year or two, but really an IUD seemed like the best option in the meantime. I feel good enough about my last couple of periods that I know what my body is naturally doing to go ahead with it.

So, generally speaking, it hasn't really made a big impact in my life since I stopped taking it, but I'm really happy to have less altering substances in my body.

http://www.thelovevitamin.com/660/should-you-be-treating-acne-with-the-birth-control-pill/

Acne and Birthcontrol pill. I like her video on this topics. maybe you too?

Well I went off the pill late August of 2008 after being on the pill (I had been on probably ten different hormone variations or pills) because I thought that my body needed some time to recover from the pill - I had been on the pill due to really heavy periods and extremely strong cramps. Then boyfriend and I investigated the rhythym method plotting my temperatures. I found out I was pregnant in October of 2008 - so I probably got pregnant my first cycle off the pill.

I know it was just my experience - but make sure you are ready for what can happen when you are off birth control.

Now I have a low hormone IUD. I have yet to have a real period (TMI- I have light spotting once a month) since having the IUD (it's been almost 2 years now!). I feel great with it - and have not gotten pregnant either :)

This is a huge personal choice for you! And there are many opinions out there on what you should do - do what you feel is right for you!

ive been off and on BC since i was 15. mostly the pill, but also the nuva ring. the birth control was an added benefit, but i was actually taking it because i have severe cramping, migraines, vomiting, super low blood pressure that causes me to pass out cold at random times, hot flashes, heavy bleeding, etc. being on BC was the only time i felt normal, frankly. i went oof everything to try and get pregnant, had to do fertility treatments for my oldest kiddo and i swear that the worst part of trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant was being off BC! i got pregnant with a hormone-assisted IUI, normal pregnancy and birth, and got pregnant again naturally and unexpectedly 14 months later, before i had a chance to really get myself back on hormonal BC, but you kow your period and hormones are so out of whack after giving birth for a good year so i didnt have the same issues. another normal pregnancy and birth and here comes my son.

im pretty sure that im done having babies, or at least im done being pregnant but would like more babies in my life some other way. im 35, husband is 39 and we have our hands full. i HATE being pregnant and break out in a cold sweat whenever i think of it. at my 6 week follow up after my son was born, my midwife implanted (?) the mirena IUD, and i swear its the best thing ive done. the first 90 days were a little unpredictable, but i now havent had a period in a year and i feel amazing. i had a migraine in the beginning that may be related to the mirena, but its such a low dose of hormones that i dont have any other side effects t all when things normalized. im also not as anemic as i used to be from bleeding so heavily. i feel total freedom, and we can be spontaneous if ya catch my drift. i think its absolutely perfect for me. when the time comes for it to be replaced and i still dont want to be pregnant again, ill probably get snipped, or a friend of mine had a uterine ablation that looks right up my alley. its such a personal choice, but this is working better than i could imagine for me at this point in my life.

I was on the pill or the NuvaRing on-and-off for about 8 years. I eventually stopped because I felt it was exacerbating my depression and anxiety issues. Since then I've only used condoms for birth control.

For the past year I've finally started having a predictable monthly cycle. I would like to use fertility awareness and/or the rhythm method for my birth control (I'm single now so it's not a pressing issue). I'm wary of pharma products and would like to avoid them as much as possible. I do understand that for some people it is their best option.

Yes! BC gave me unbearable side effects, and I still got pregnant on it twice! After several months of consistent low carb-ish paleo, exercise, and then adding iodine and DIM, I have had my first few normal periods in many years. They were ungodly heavy and long before.

I was taking them for a while and stopped not just because of the chemicals, because that freaked me out too, but the idea that a man a white, sterile environment was programming my nethers was just downright foul. My nethers!!!

I had terrible experiences with every type of hormonal birth control- and I'm sorry but condoms are no fun. I have been using the FAM (Fertility Awareness Method) for over four years now. At first it was scary. I didn't trust myself and I didn't know my body. I was terrified I would end up pregnant as you hear all the stories of women getting pregnant etc. Well, I haven't been pregnant yet and now, after four full years of fairly constant sex with my partner, I finally feel totally confident and so in touch with my body. I know just when I ovulate, and when my period is going to arrive. It feels powerful to be aware of the shifts in your body.

I love being free of chemicals- birth control in my opinion is horrible and I have never met a woman who has had a good experience with it- weight gain, mood changes, cancer, a entire host of issues. If birth control works for you, great, but for me and many others it simply is not an option. I ended up in the ER and almost died from the last hormonal birth control I took. (IUD included)

I would recommend getting a book on FAM and starting to chart your cycles, take your temp, and monitor cervical mucus. The Lady Comp is supposed to be amazing, but is about $500. I don't feel a need for it as everything is going fine with what I am currently doing, but if you can afford it that is the best and easiest way to do natural birth control (you can get it on amazon).

Good luck, and listen to your body.

I haven't read any experiences that were quite like mine, so I want to offer my experience. I was eating a paleo-style diet (GAPS diet) for about 10 months and doing very well when I decided the next step was to get off of hormonal birth control. I had been on a low dose pill from age 16 to 26. I went on the pill when I was 16 to deal with heavy periods and terrible cramps. I was afraid that those issues would come back when I went off HBC, but they haven't! I have been off for 8 months and the first 3 were very long cycles (about 40 days each) and then they shortened up to consistent 32 day cycles. I use FAM (temperature and cervical mucous) and it has given me a lot of information about what is going on in my body and I also think that it complements the paleo diet very well. Other things I've noticed is my libido finally came back (in spades!), my skin breaks out slightly more around that time of the month but is generally very clear and only a small zit here or there that is easy to cover with makeup. I also feel like my body got slightly more curvy and feminine, and I feel, emotionally, more feminine (sounds weird, but I don't know how else to word it. I've always been a tomboy, not very emotional, and now I feel like a school girl sometimes, but it's really good!). Also, me and the hubby are NOT planning on getting pregnant any time soon (I'm in grad school) and I feel confident and trust the FAM system for preventing pregnancy.

I have never gotten the pill, and I'll never will. The few times I was put on similar hormones for other health reasons, I felt sick. I simply use the condom with my husband. No problems.

I'm staying on mine until my husband and I decide to have a kid or he gets snipped. I'm allergic to latex, and the alternative contraceptives are so expensive, it's still price savvy to keep me on the pill for now.

I would really like to be off it though, I don't care much for constant medication either.

I've never been on it, but am considering using it coming up on 3 years 'paleo', to give my body a break from the constant cycling.

I was on the pill for at least 10 years and then stopped taking it to get pregnant.

While pregnant (which my body desperately hated), I started my high blood pressure problems. I didn't have Preeclampsia, just ridiculously high blood pressure. So, after having my darling girl (LOL), I was 30 and had high blood pressure, they didn't want me on anything with hormones. I got a copper IUD. After about 3 years, something moved and it was causing super heavy periods and cramping so they took it out and gave me a Mirena.

The hormones are supposed to be low dose in the Mirena and my doc said that because it was interuterine they should not affect my blood pressure. Unfortunately, I saw weight gain, emotional issues and higher blood pressure, so I had that sucker taken out within the year.

I ended up opting for the Essure procedure which is a coil that goes in your tubes, then they scar over it so no little sperm guys can get in. It wasn't much worse than a normal pelvic exam, after a few months I had to go in for a test where they injecting me with dye to make sure that the tubes were truly closed. It took about 6 months.

I have had absolutely no issues with the Essure and I know I am done having kids so it was a great option for me. My periods are fairly normal. I seem to go between having a really bad emotional PMS one month, then the next month it's more crampy.

I've just stopped taking the pill after being on it for almost four years, and instead had an implanon inserted. It's a progesterone-only contraception and they're subsidised by the government here in Australia so it only cost me $28 (rather than the $30 a month that I was paying for the pill) and it lasts for three years, and my periods have stopped all together which I'm enjoying - though I still worry about the side effects.

My doctor mentioned something about how the hormones from the implanon bypass the liver, as it's inserted in my arm and doesn't have to travel through my stomach either, which sounds like a slightly better option than oral contraceptives. But does anyone know more about the implanon/synthetic progesterone that my doctor wouldn't be telling me?

Condoms aren't really an option for me or my partner as they cause skin irritation to us both if we use them too often - but I definitely am not ready to be pregnant for the next few years, and don't trust myself with remembering to do all the temperature checking with the fertility awareness method. So I don't see any other option :(

I haven't gained any weight since the implanon, but I haven't lost any either, which I was hoping might happen after stopping the pill. I'm fairly fit but have carried a small layer of fat that I can't get rid of ever since adolescence; probably with no help from taking the pill for years. Any thoughts or info would be appreciated.

I am planning to get the Essure proceedure done in a month, then going off Bcps after 3 months ( to make sure the everything took). I hate the idea of having the proceedure but can't stand the issues that come along with Bcps ( break through bleeding, mood swings,breast tenderness, etc).

could being on birth control while eating Paleo make you gain weight?

I went off the pill right before going Paleo. Simply, everything changed. Moods, cramps, digestive problems. Then when I started paleo a week later, everything got even better! My last period was the first time I didn't need painkillers. On the pill, I used to have TERRIBLE cramps. I also forgot what depression feels like. I don't know if this is only Paleo, but my depression and digestive problems started with the pill. So obviously, the combination of Paleo and no pills has done me wonders and that's only in 1 month. We just use condoms, no better choice at the moment and much better than all that crap I was going through!

You know, as I sat here reading all of these posts, thinking to myself:
"I don't ever want to go back on birth control again. But, I don't want to rely on condoms either. And I REALLY can't get pregnant. I wish there was a way to not be on hormones and not have babies" I thought vasectomies were reversible. Can't guys just get one and then have it reversed when they want to have kids? I just did a google search and apparently vasectomies aren't reversible. :( Lame.

I wish I hadn't ever gone on birth control. But, it did make the past two summers (living literally out of a sea kayak and sleeping on beaches) bearable. I can't imagine having my period during those trips. This summer I'll be doing the same thing and I'm debating going back on them after being off them for about 6 months. What should I do? I am getting a new menstrual(MeLuna brand, small soft) cup soon after having problems with the gigantic Diva Cup. I have vaginismus so I'm worried that I'll have problems with the smaller softer MeLuna too. This would be disastrous if I didn't go back on birth control, got my period on a trip and couldn't use my cup. Tampons give me yeast infections. :(

Recently it has been found that Implanon and other similar hormones stop the body from putting on bone mass. Now doctors in Australia only recommend them for women over 30 as by then you've stopped putting on bone mass. I was on it for 4 years, now am on the pill but the side effects suck. I want to get sterilised, will have to see if they will allow it on someone so young (only 25).