Hormonal contraception includes: the pill, the patch, the Mirena and the injection. They are all the same thing just with different amounts of synthetic hormones and transferred in different ways. The reason hormonal contraception works so well is because it stops your whole endocrine system from functioning – that is the system that controls your natural flow of hormones.
Using hormonal contraception stops your natural rhythm of estrogen and progesterone and therefore affects you and your body.
Below are 11 points that you may not be aware of:
1. The synthetic hormones in hormonal contraceptives increase your risk of breast cancer, cervical cancer, and liver cancer. If you have family history of any of these cancers your risk is even higher.
Numerous studies have demonstrated an increased risk of breast cancer in women using oral contraceptives (Althuis, 2003; Dai, 2009; Delort, 2007; Kumle, 2002; Rosenberg, 2009). A 2006 Mayo Clinic meta-analysis concluded that breast cancer risk rises 50% for women taking oral contraceptives four or more years before a full-term pregnancy. In 2009, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre found that women starting the pill before 18 nearly quadruple their risk of triple negative breast cancer. Even more shocking, Swedish oncologist Hakan Olsson concluded that pill use before the age of 20 increases a young woman’s breast cancer risk by more than 1000% (LifeSiteNews).
2. The synthetic hormones deplete your body’s natural stores of vitamins and minerals. Women who use hormonal contraceptives have lower levels of B vitamins like folate, fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K), zinc, and iron.
Regardless of how many vitamins you consume, birth control pills lower the levels of these nutrients in your body.
3. The synthetic hormones may increase your chances of experiencing anxiety and depression.
When you alter a woman’s hormones, you alter her emotions. This is because a woman does not get to experience the natural fluctuation of estrogen vs progesterone. When women are fertile, they are healthier, happier, and have a higher sex drive. Women who are on hormonal birth control do not experience estrogen and can therefore experience a loss of libido or depression. As the hormones from the pill remain in your body for many months post taking them, you are only likely to see a change a couple months down the line.
4. The hormones destroy your natural ability to choose a genetically compatible mate.
You may not be aware of this but humans are just like animals – we detect the most compatible mate by sense of smell. You are attracted to him through this sense because you know instinctively that he is a good mate for you. A woman on birth control doesn’t have her usual sense of smell and therefore could be choosing the wrong partner. Maybe this is one of the reasons for the high infertility and divorce rates we see today?
5. The hormones may impact your future fertility.
Today we live a life of “If I want it now, I’ll get it now.” When you don’t want children, you stop your whole body from functioning and then expect so much of your body when you come off the hormones when you want to fall pregnant. Being on hormonal contraception stops your body from working naturally, therefore it takes time for your body to re-establish normal rhythms and functions again. For some women, this can take up to five years.
6. The hormones increase your risk of blood clots, pulmonary embolism, heart attack and stroke.
Yes, in the past there was a small fraction of women experiencing heart attacks or embolisms at the age of 30, but I am seeing and hearing of more women experiencing these things and more, all because of hormonal contraception.
7. Your libido decreases.
Your libido decreases because you do not have the natural fluctuating hormones of estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen is the hormone that increases your desire to want to have sex; it makes you feel alive. When you are on hormonal contraception you do not have estrogen fluctuations.
8. The hormones can cause hair loss in some women.
9. The hormones increase your risk of osteoporosis.
This is because the pill leaches calcium from your bones.
10. The synthetic hormones rob you of your most attractive time of the month: ovulation.
Ovulation is awesome! Your body produces oestrogen, releasing the egg into the fallopian tube and then switches to producing progesterone. Ovulation is when you feel sexy, you want sex and you feel incredible – why would you want to get rid of this time?
11. The synthetic hormones can contribute to headaches and migraines.
Have you ever considered that your headaches or migraines could be directly related to the hormonal contraception you are using?