How to support your body on the pill or getting off the pill
This post contains affiliate links. For more information visit my disclosures page.
Last week I talked all about the effects of the pill on the body and on your hormones and PCOS. If you missed it click right here.
So naturally, a lot of you asked me what you can do if you are taking the pill still or looking to get off it.
Whether you decide to stay on it for personal reasons or transition into a more holistic approach, you can support your body in doing so. You can make the transition easier on yourself and your body in several ways. Below are my tips on where to start and what you need to address when you are taking hormonal birth control or wanting to ease off it into a more natural approach.
Address nutrient deficiencies
Key nutrients and antioxidants depleted on the pill include vitamin B2, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A, selenium, magnesium, zinc, and coenzyme Q10. I usually suggest finding a good quality prenatal or multivitamin/multimineral supplement to help cover your nutritional bases alongside a diet rich in whole foods that contains a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Remember you can’t out supplement a bad diet…
Not to mention our typical western diet today is compromised largely of refined sugars and carbohydrates which can actually deplete our stores of vitamins and minerals. So not only does the HBC deplete vital nutrients but if you are not eating a whole foods diet then you are duplicating that effect.
Magnesium-rich foods: legumes, nuts, cacao, avocado, tofu, seeds, whole grains, and leafy greens.
Vitamin C rich foods: citrus fruits, leafy greens, berries, kiwi, parsley, brussels sprouts.
Vitamin E rich foods: nuts and seeds, leafy greens, avocado, spinach, butternut squash, broccoli.
Zinc-rich foods: beef, pumpkin seeds, liver, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, lamb, clams, chicken breast, wild salmon, oysters, seafood.
B12 rich foods: clams, liver, trout, salmon, tuna, beef, chicken breast, eggs.
Folate rich foods: liver, sunflower seeds, raw spinach, cooked chickpeas, avocado, cooked lentils, eggs, clams, wild salmon, oysters, cooked kale, chicken breast.
Selenium rich foods: brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, oysters, clams, sardines, wild salmon, liver, eggs, beef, spinach, kale.
Manage your stress
The pill has been shown to increase cortisol which is a problem over time. Chronic stress is actually the biggest contributor to doctor’s visits today as it is a driver for chronic disease. PCOS women are more sensitive to stress and have been shown to have higher levels of stress hormones. This can prompt the adrenals to make androgens such as DHEA-S which you can measure by blood test.
You may be thinking but how do I avoid stress? It’s everywhere! And I agree. But we need to remember there are 3 types of stressors: emotional, physical, and chemical. So no you can’t eliminate them all but you can certainly reduce them.
One of the most impactful ways of decreasing the impact of stress on your body is through the mind. We are the only creatures who can actually create a stress state with thought alone. Joe Dispenza talks about this a lot. The way you react to a situation is 100% under your control. So though you may not be able to get rid of every stress in your life, you can certainly shift your perception of the stressor.
But first, we need to be aware of our personal stressors so that we can address them effectively and let go of those that we can.
Lifestyle habits to reduce stress: meditation, deep breathing, creating healthy boundaries, adding fun and play, getting outside into nature, and sleeping 7-9 hours are all great strategies to reduce the impact of stress.
Once you address the stressors in your life and adopt lifestyle practices to minimize the damage, you can look into supplements.
Natural remedies to reduce stress hormones and anxiety include phosphatidylserine, l-theanine, magnesium, ashwagandha, and holy basil. If you are prone to anxiety and have a lot of stress on your plate I would recommend ditching or reducing coffee. Coffee is a nervous system stimulant and can promote HPA axis dysregulation over time. A good rule of thumb is; if you absolutely depend on it, that’s a good sign that you definitely need to cut it down or avoid altogether. I love Four Sigmatic as an alternative to coffee or as a better coffee substitute because the adaptogens help support your nervous system and regulate cortisol, so you feel more focused and less jittery.
Reduce inflammation
The pill has been shown to elevate markers of inflammation such as CRP. Reducing inflammation can help your gut heal and reduce symptoms driven by inflammation like acne, joint pain, PMS and heavy periods. PCOS is also characterized by a state of chronic low-grade inflammation, and the more inflammation the worst symptoms you will encounter. Inflammation prompts the ovaries to produce testosterone instead of estrogen which can inhibit ovulation and increase symptoms like acne, hair loss, and hirsutism.
So where do you start? Start by removing offending foods, these commonly look like dairy, gluten, wheat, corn, or soy. Gluten and dairy commonly cause problems in PCOS and non-PCOS women by raising inflammation in the digestive tract. And of course, processed and refined foods need to go!
Then, you want to add in the good stuff! Plant foods represent the highest antioxidant foods which means they can help calm the inflammatory response in the body. So make sure you are adding lots of brightly colored fruits and vegetables into your daily diet. I add these whole food concentrates on top of my whole food diet to bridge the gap between the food I am consuming and what I should be getting.
Inflammation-reducing foods: leafy greens, turmeric, wild fatty fish, ginger, and brightly colored fruits and vegetables.
Inflammation promoting foods: refined carbohydrates and sugars, hydrogenated oils, trans fats, alcohol, caffeine, allergenic foods.
Support your liver
The liver has over 500 jobs to do, so when you ingest alcohol or toxins it puts the other jobs on hold to be able to address these as a priority. You can imagine if you are being exposed to a lot of chemicals from pollution, food, beauty products, skincare, and exogenous hormones from animal products and the birth control pill for instance then your liver is going to have a lottt of work to do. Combine that with a low nutrient status and you got a problem!
Contrary to popular belief tea detoxes and juice cleanses aren’t going to cut it. That’s because the liver requires a substantial amount of nutrients for detoxification to occur optimally such as B vitamins, amino acids, selenium, and vitamin C, and these are depleted by the BC pill. In addition, the liver has to detoxify extra hormones from the pill. Supporting the liver requires the removal of toxic exposures (as much as possible) while adding in liver supporting foods on a regular basis. You must address both.
And this isn’t a one-time thing, your liver works every single day! Be careful if you choose to stay on the pill and work on your liver as increased detoxification could make the effectiveness decrease.
Liver supporting foods: broccoli, cauliflower, mustard greens, garlic, onions, radish, cabbage, brussels sprouts, beets, cilantro, clean proteins, avocado, brightly colored fruits, and vegetables.
Liver loving herbs: milk thistle, dandelion, burdock, artichoke, turmeric...
Metabolic Repair
As mentioned HBC can trigger or worsen insulin resistance. Insulin resistance affects about 70% of PCOS women and an increasing number of the general population. Insulin resistance is also known as pre-diabetes and is impacted by diet and lifestyle the most. However certain medications, such as hormonal contraceptives, can also alter insulin signaling and blood sugar regulation.
What happens with insulin resistance? Your cells do not respond properly to insulin to move glucose from the bloodstream into the cell for energy so it’s common to see stubborn weight gain, energy crashes, insatiable hunger, and mood swings, to name a few. If you are on HBC or dealing with insulin resistance, you need to balance all of your meals with protein + fiber + fat to keep your blood sugar stable. A muffin with coffee or a bowl of cereal is only making this worse. Check out easy 10 breakfast recipes here for some alternative ideas.
Do you have to avoid carbs? Don’t fall for this trap, whole-food carbohydrates are important because they supply the body with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber which are crucial for insulin regulation and blood sugar balance. Whole plant-based foods are natural sources of soluble and insoluble fiber that improve postprandial glucose metabolism, reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, and lower the risks of developing diabetes (1). Plant foods also feed our good gut bacteria which are linked with healthy weight and blood sugar balance.
In addition, physical activity is another important component of managing insulin resistance. That’s because muscle is the key site for glucose uptake which results in reduced insulin secretion. High-intensity intervals, as well as strength training, have been shown to be two of the most beneficial exercises for blood sugar management and insulin regulation (2). I usually recommend 2-3 sessions per week. Walking is also highly underrated but one of the best strategies to manage glucose metabolism after a meal (especially a large meal) so get walking after lunch and dinner!
Some good tests to assess insulin resistance include fasting insulin, fasting glucose, HBA1C, HDL/TG ratio, and glucose tolerance test. Download my free PCOS lab testing guide here.
Foods to avoid for blood sugar balance: processed foods, hydrogenated oils, processed meats, refined carbohydrates, refined sugars, excess saturated fats.
Foods to include for blood sugar balance: brightly colored fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, wild fatty fish, legumes, cinnamon, turmeric, flaxseeds, probiotic foods, and berries.
Heal Your Gut
Your gut health is everything. HBC can promote leaky gut by increasing inflammation in the intestines, impacting the microbiome, and promoting a pathogenic environment such as yeast overgrowth. Which means we need to take extra care of it on and coming off the pill. This means, of course, removing those inflammatory foods and any allergens specific to you. I like using an elimination diet with my clients as this is the gold standard for identifying food sensitivities and intolerances. You can also do serum testing but accuracy is questionable. Then I look at any enzyme deficiencies or low stomach acid which may require specific supplementation. I love using specific supplements and herbs to help repair the gut such as l-glutamine, slippery elm bark, aloe vera, probiotics, and DGL. Further testing may be required in some cases to rule out infections. Again we want to look at the root cause and not just pop supplements, this is why working with a practitioner is the best course of action when working on repairing the gut.
Identify Your Hormone Imbalance
All of the above will help to balance hormones however it can be useful to know exactly what hormones are out of balance in your case. With HBC users hormonal testing lack accuracy due to the suppression of your own natural hormones. If you see low progesterone and estrogen, this is normal because you are not making your own hormones while on the pill. So it’s pretty useless to test in this case.
I usually recommend testing 3 months post-pill in order for the brain to re-establish communication with the ovaries and for your hormones to kick in again and your cycle to regulate. Charting your cycles can also be a great way to assess your hormone status using basal body temperature to confirm ovulation. This method can help indicate hormonal imbalances such as low progesterone, luteal phase defects, and high estrogen. Again more useful when you are off the pill. Check out my guest blog post on the fertility awareness method here.
This information is provided for educational purposes and should not be construed as medical advice. Please consult with your healthcare practitioners before undertaking any changes in your diet or adding supplements.
Still feeling stuck on how to transition off the pill or get your PCOS under control?
Schedule a free call with me by clicking here to chat more about how I can support you in achieving healthy hormones! Or see my services page here for more information.