07/11/2023
You may have heard this from your mom, neighbor, or even your OBGYN but this statement is actually FALSE. Thinking that the pill balances hormones is a common misconception because for some people, the pill does reduce symptoms of hormones imbalance like acne, moodiness, or cramps, and, if the pill, patch, or ring is taken as prescribed, bleeding happens every 28 days.
The truth is that the pill doesn’t balance hormones. It switches them off completely. I remember hearing in my twenties that the pill made your body think it was pregnant. A more accurate description would be that the pill induces a state similar to a temporary chemical menopause. Testing hormone levels while on the pill shows menopausal levels of estrogen and progesterone. And the pill doesn’t regulate periods because the bleeding that happens on the sugar pill week isn’t anything close to the period that happens from a menstrual cycle. It’s called a pill bleed, or bleeding caused by stopping the synthetic hormones.
The assumption that the pill balances hormone levels is a dangerous one for a couple of reasons.
Reason 1-it means that the root cause(s) of your symptoms remain unchecked. Gut infection contributing your PMS symptoms? It continues to rage. Blood sugar imbalances affecting your cycle? The synthetic estrogen in the pill can increase insulin resistance in some people.
Not addressing the root causes can lead to other conditions down the road, like thyroid disease, autoimmune conditions, skin problems, and more.
Reason 2- the hormones made by our body are actually incredibly beneficial for heart, brain, and bone health. Taking those out of circulation for years, and often decades, negatively impacts overall health.
It is important to understand the full implications of believing the pill is fixing the problem and get the proper support and information. If this is something that you have previously been told, please share your experience or ask your questions in the comments section.
