The Pill
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room… B I R T H C O N T R O L. I fell like the millennial generation grew up on the pill… abnormal cycles? Birth control. Heavy period? Birth control. Horrific cramps? Birth control. There wasn’t much of an option when it came to resolving menstrual cycle symptoms other than taking synthetic hormones to mask the issue. Looking back now, I wish I asked more questions and understood everything that was happening to my body at the young age of 16, but I can’t go back in time. All I can do is advocate for women’s health and the importance of understanding your own menstrual cycle.
I don’t know about you, but sex education taught me that is you have intercourse with a male, you will get pregnant. It seemed so easy (or rather terrifying when you’re a teenager). But that was their point - to scare you out of doing something instead of teaching you about women’s reproductive health. This information had misled so many women (myself included) into thinking it would be easy to start a family of my own one day.
After 15+ years of taking birth control pills, I quit cold turkey. There was no weaning process and I was told by my health care provider it’s fine to stop whenever we are ready to have a baby. A lot of my friends had already entered their trying to conceive (TTC) journey or were already parents so I didn’t think it would be difficult. All I have to do is have sex with my husband and I’ll get pregnant, right?!
Wrong. 6 months went by and the closest I had to a period was a withdrawal bleed from stopping the pills. Little did I know that meant I wasn’t ovulating and had no chance of getting pregnant all those months. No period = no ovulation. Seeking answers, I made an appointment with my OBGYN who did extensive bloodwork and diagnosed me with Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (HA) - the absence of ovulation due to over exercising and under fueling. Even during that appointment, I was told everything I was doing was healthy - continue to eat healthy (was never questioned on how much or what I was eating); continue to exercise (never questioned how much I was doing each day); you BMI is normal (means absolutely nothing). Because I was told I was doing everything right, I was so confused as to why my only option now was fertility treatments. I knew there had to be another way…
Call it whatever you want, but I didn’t know there were four phases of a women’s cycle. I didn’t know that you had to ovulate in order to conceive. If I had known all of these things before, I would have known much sooner that something wasn’t right. Not ovulating and not getting a period is NOT normal. Dr. Google told me it could take 3-6 months to regulate again after years of birth control.
I was spending hours a day learning all about women’s reproductive cycle and hormones, making it my mission to recovery my period and get pregnancy naturally. Despite what wall the doctors were telling me, I knew I could become a mom without the expensive and invasive fertility treatments. It would be a hard, long journey but my competitive side came out to prove to everyone it was possible. For me, I needed to get to the forefront of what was causing my hormones to be at a menopausal state. My “healthy” lifestyle was actually causing my infertility. HA can be reversed and treated - much like other hormonal disorders that women face. Birth control is not a cure, it is a Band-Aid.
Infertility was the biggest red flag when TTC but birth control was also masking other health concerns such as GI issues, extreme anxiety, disrupted sleep, and osteoporosis (just to name a few). It made me think if I hadn’t gone off birth control for the sole reason of starting a family, I would still be suffering from all of these problems and they would only be getting worse.
If you feel traumatized after coming off birth control, know you’re not alone. It can feel isolating to be misled for so long. Don’t get me wrong, I love all of my healthcare providers and do believe they have the best interest at heart. However, there isn’t enough resources or training out there to understand the full effects of hormonal birth control.
I created Freckled Fertility to give women the confidence they need to make informed decisions about their own health. If you can understand what is happening in your body, you have the power to control your journey. Advocate for yourself - you won’t regret it. I will be the first person cheering you on.