If you are thinking of having a baby, you have probably decided that you will stop taking birth control. However, this is not the only reason a woman may have for deciding to discontinue the use of pills, patches, injections or even Mirena.
If you have risk factors for varicose veins, thrombosis, and cardiovascular disease, stopping birth control may even be a necessity to preserve your life.
However, for other women, the reason ranges from a maladaptation to the method to the simple desire to have your body free of synthetic hormones, following a more natural line.
Whatever your reason for stopping hormonal contraceptive methods, you need to know a few things that happen to your body after this decision:
1. You will go through an irregular period
With the use of hormones, the ovaries are left sideways, without having to work to complete our entire cycle. Precisely for this reason, it may take some time for them to function normally again, so that menstruation becomes irregular.
Also read: 10 Types Of Medicines That Make You Gain Weight Without Knowing
In general, the cycle regularizes around six months, although some women have a normalized cycle as early as the month following discontinuation of contraception.
Still, you may be up to three months without your period while your ovaries don't "wake up." Therefore it is important to have the gynecologist follow up.
2. Colic and PMS May Return
If you had severe cramps and PMS before taking a contraceptive, be aware that these discomforts may well return after discontinuing use. This is because, without the pill and other methods, our body returns to hormonal fluctuations? something natural, but that causes these annoyances.
However, if you have never had cramps or used to be sad, irritated, or drowsy before your period, it is unlikely that stopping your hormones will make them uncomfortable.
3. Menstrual flow increases
When we use a contraceptive we may even bleed every month, but this is not a true menstruation because there is no preparation of the uterus to receive a possible baby.
Also read: 3 Types of Remedies That Can Cut the Contraceptive Effect
Thus, by suspending hormonal contraceptives, the endometrium forms again, lining the uterus to make it super comfortable if an embryo appears there. Thus, when a pregnancy does not happen, the menstrual flow becomes more intense and may last longer.
4. You will get more vaginal secretions
When we use contraceptives and have no problem in the genital region, we do not usually have intimate secretions between menstruations. However, when you suspend them, it is normal to notice a viscous mucus in the middle of the cycle, indicating that you are in the fertile period.
There may also be an increase in natural daily secretion and intimate relationships as a result of increased production of estrogen by the body.
5. You will get libido in the highest
Several types of contraceptives reduce or block the production of testosterone, known to be the male hormone, but which also exists in small amounts in a woman's body.
And do you know what happens when testosterone increases? That's right, the interest in sex also grows! Of course this varies from woman to woman, but in general they report an improvement in libido when they stop using the pill and other hormonal methods.
Read also: 38 Contraceptive Questions Answered by Gynecologists
6. The amount of hair increases
You should know another classic role of testosterone in addition to arousing libido: It is responsible for increasing the amount and thickness of body hair, including the face, armpits, genitals and legs. Obviously, this effect is most visible in men, who have a much higher level of this hormone in the body.
So with the increase in testosterone that can happen after you stop taking birth control pills, you may also notice an increase in your hair? In fact, they will return to what would be their "natural" state.
7. Your skin may get oilier
Another effect of increased testosterone caused by discontinuation of contraception is a greater stimulation in the functioning of the sebaceous glands, which can make the skin more oily and more prone to acne.
If so, you can adopt new habits, such as using special soaps for this type of skin, or even contact a dermatologist if the changes are too intense and you start to have many pimples.
8. Your weight may change
Stopping a contraceptive can cause your weight to swing up or down. In general, the synthetic hormones we use cause more or less fluid retention. Thus, when you stop using them, this effect will cease and your weight may change slightly downwards.
Read also: 5 Myths About Birth Control Pill
However, as there is also greater variation in our hormones, even causing PMS to return, our moods tend to become more unstable, which can make us more anxious, increase our appetite (especially for sweets) and decrease our willingness to do activities. physical. In this case, the result will be a weight gain.
As you can see, stopping a hormonal contraceptive has a number of effects, some positive and some negative. The intensity of these effects varies from woman to woman, so it is not possible to predict how you will feel when you stop using hormones.
Therefore, instead of making this decision yourself, it is essential to talk to a trusted gynecologist who is open to discussing other options for birth control and who can also guide you on how to deal with possible effects of that choice.
Birth Control Pills (May 2024)
- Contraceptive methods
- 1,230
