My Hormone Health Journey (so far)
These photos are one year apart. In 2019, I celebrated ten years of “entering into womanhood.” In a post I shared how I appreciate my period, that I see it as a sign that my body could potentially create a human being, and how remarkable that truly is (I’ll link the post here). What I’ve learned since making that statement has completely altered my perspective on my hormones and how much they not only influence, but dictate my health.
For almost all of those ten years of regularly getting my period, I was on some form of synthetic, hormonal birth control. When I got my period at the age of 14 and ended up missing 18 days of my freshman year of high school due to bad PMS, my doctor proposed birth control as the solution to all of my period problems. In her defense, it worked. For ten years I believed I was doing right by my body, and I was still getting a period, so that was healthy, right? I could not have been more wrong. How is birth control a solution? All it did was mask the underlying issues, and when I ultimately went off birth control, all hell broke loose in my body. And, bonus, the period you get on birth control is in fact not a true period. This is by no means a recommendation to go off the pill. This is my experience, and my body showing me what was not working. Birth control is extremely effective in its job to do just that, prevent pregnancy.
I went off birth control per the recommendation of my GI doctor. I had been experiencing a vitamin B12 deficiency for six months leading up to this decision. I know the irony of also being a dietitian and having a vitamin deficiency. After a full work-up, colonoscopy (fun) included, they decided that there was an over abundance of bacteria present in my small intestine (SIBO), which was preventing my body from naturally absorbing this vital nutrient. The cause of the bacterial overgrowth? Most likely birth control.
Depletion of B vitamins is one of the many potential side effects of birth control. The list goes on. Within four months of quitting the pill, I started developing cystic acne on my cheeks (see photos). I had never had acne like this before. No topical treatment improved it. I sought a dermatologist when I was determined that Accutane was the only solution. I went back on birth control because I knew it would help the acne in the interim, but it again was masking the underlying problem.
Thankfully, I stumbled upon the book, “The Happy Hormone Guide“ by Shannon Leparski. This is a plant-based approach to healing and balancing hormones, naturally. Her book is based on many principles outlined in Alisa Vitti’s books “Womancode,” and “In the Flo.” All three of these books have helped me navigate my hormonal issues.
On a low-waste life endeavor, I had already begun to eliminate all forms of plastic from my life. Words from the book “Sicker, Fatter, Poorer,” also informed me of how soft plastics and plastic linings in cans, disposable cups, etc., could be contributing to that over abundance of bacteria in my gut. But what the books on hormones shed the most light on was the daily pollutants I was exposing my body to and how to reduce them.
I completely changed my skincare routine, eliminated harmful chemicals that I was placing directly on my body that were being somewhat absorbed. I switched my make-up, hair products, stopped wearing perfume and nail polish, changed my deodorant, and most importantly swapped out my cleaning products. It sounds like a lot, but these were gradual changes. When I ran out of something, I replaced it with a better option. I went through my cupboards and got rid of things I hadn’t used. This has been years-long effort (so far), and it has helped me tremendously.
I am now off birth control again, but this time I did things differently. I have not seen changes in my weight or skin that I did the first time. I feel compelled to share this because I know I’m not alone. If my words can shed light or give you hope that what you may be experiencing is only temporary, I hope it can be just that. There is so much I can’t wait to share with you all. Honestly I’m appalled and embarrassed that after five plus years of studying nutrition and receiving a masters degree, this topic never came up. I want to shout this new (to me) information from the rooftops and help others. Periods don’t have to suck. I wish my doctor never put me on birth control at the ripe age of 14. My body would have sorted it out. What if period problems didn’t have to exist at all? Sounds pretty magical to me. Check out my MEET YOUR CYCLE COURSE today to learn more about your hormones.