The Truth About Hormonal Birth Control: How It Affects Your Body & Hormones
Hormonal birth control (HBC) is often handed out as the go-to solution for everything from irregular periods and cramps to acne, yet most women are never fully informed about what it actually does to their body. Many have been lead to believe that it helps balance hormones, but in reality, HBC shuts them down. It doesn’t “trick your body into thinking it’s pregnant," it essentially puts your body into a menopausal state by suppressing ovulation. And because ovulation is essential for hormone balance, metabolism, mood, and overall well-being, this can come with a long list of unintended side effects. If more of us knew what HBC did to our body, would we have made the same choice?
In this article we’ll answer these top questions:
→ How does hormonal birth control affect your body? Beyond just avoiding pregnancy
→ What are the downsides of hormonal birth control?
→ Is progestin the same thing as progesterone? (Hint: No, and we’ll talk about why this matters!)
→ What are the best hormone free birth control options?
→ How do you come off of birth control without side effects like post-pill acne and mood swings?
Let’s dive in.
Hormonal Birth Control Stops Ovulation—And That Changes Everything
Many people think birth control works by making your body believe it’s pregnant. But pregnancy is a high-hormone state with lots of progesterone—the exact opposite of what happens on hormonal birth control.
When you take HBC, your brain and ovaries stop communicating. This means no ovulation and no natural progesterone (the calming, pro-metabolism, pro-fertility hormone that women need). Instead, you get synthetic hormones that don't function the same way as your real ones, leaving many women feeling “off” without knowing why.
This is why it’s so common for women on birth control to experience low libido, vaginal dryness, mood swings, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and metabolic slowdowns. You’ll notice a lot of these are symptoms women also experience in menopause!
Progestin Is NOT Progesterone – And Here’s Why That Matters
A lot of women assume that the "progestin" in their hormonal birth control is the same as natural progesterone. It’s not. In fact, they couldn’t be more different.
What Progesterone Does
✓ Supports mood
✓ Aids in sleep
✓ Boosts metabolism
✓ Balances estrogen
✓ Has anti-androgen properties
✓ Stimulates hair growth (head)
✓ Improves heart health
✓ Supports brain health
✓ May reduce the risk of breast cancer
Progesterone isn’t a hormone that was willy nilly created for our bodies. We have it for important reasons!
What Progestin Does
✘ Can cause anxiety and depression
✘ Can cause hair loss
✘ Can be androgenic or “testosterone-like”
✘ Can increase the risk for breast cancer
✘ Can cause bone loss (with progestin-only hormonal birth control)
Unfortunately progestins don’t provide the same brain, bone, heart, mood or metabolic benefits as real progesterone. And instead of being hormone-balancing, progestins are hormone-disrupting.
The Less-Talked-About Downsides of Hormonal Birth Control
Most of us were only told about the benefits of hormonal birth control—never the full picture of what it does to the body. While it may prevent pregnancy, it also comes with a long list of side effects that many women don’t connect back to their birth control.
1. It Disrupts Your Natural Hormones
Hormonal birth control shuts down ovulation, which means you no longer produce real progesterone. Instead, you get synthetic progestin, which doesn’t have the same calming, metabolism-supporting benefits as real progesterone. This can lead to mood swings, anxiety, and worsened PMS.
At the same time, many forms of HBC flood the body with synthetic estrogen. This can contribute to estrogen dominance, which can cause:
Heavier, more painful periods (when coming off birth control)
Breast tenderness and fibrocystic breasts
Water retention and bloating
Increased risk of fibroids, endometriosis, and PMS
2. It Lowers Libido and Can Make It Harder to Orgasm
The most ironic side effects of hormonal birth control? It can tank your libido—making you want sex less while also making it harder to enjoy when you do.
HBC suppresses natural hormones crucial for sexual desire and pleasure. It can also cause vaginal dryness and clitoral shrinkage—making it harder to orgasm and/or making them feel less intense.
3. It Can Slow Your Metabolism
HBC interferes with thyroid function, which is essential for keeping your metabolism running smoothly. When thyroid function is disrupted, you may experience:
Fatigue and low energy
Weight gain (or difficulty losing weight)
Brain fog and trouble concentrating
Irregular or missing periods
4. It Depletes Key Nutrients
Your body needs certain vitamins and minerals to function properly, but HBC depletes many of them, including B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, selenium, f0late, vitamin C, vitamin E, and CoQ10.
These deficiencies can contribute to symptoms like low energy, mood imbalances, slowed metabolism, hair loss, poor adrenal health, weaker immunity, low stress resilience, blood sugar imbalances and more.
5. It Affects Gut Health
HBC disrupts the gut microbiome, alters gut motility, and increases intestinal permeability (leaky gut), making women more susceptible to digestive issues like bloating, gas, IBS, and even SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth).
6. It Increases Anxiety and Depression
HBC alters serotonin, dopamine, and GABA—neurotransmitters that regulate mood, motivation, and stress resilience. Studies have shown that:
Women taking the combined pill (containing estrogen and progestin) were 23% more likely to be treated with antidepressants.
Women taking the “mini-pill” (progestin only) were 34% more likely to be treated with antidepressants.
Teens taking the combined pill were 80% more likely to be treated with antidepressants and twice as likely if using the “mini-pill.”
→ What’s infuriating is that in 2016, a study on male hormonal birth control was halted early because some participants experienced mood changes, depression, and lowered libido. Meanwhile, these same side effects have been affecting millions of women for decades without a second thought.
7. It Can Lead to Blood Sugar Issues
Hormonal birth control can increase insulin resistance, which means:
It’s harder to balance blood sugar, leading to more cravings and energy crashes.
It may contribute to stubborn weight gain, especially around the midsection.
It elevates stress hormones and makes it difficult to balance hormones.
It could raise the risk of developing metabolic issues down the road.
It increases the risk for type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's
→ My PCOS Women: PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), is often driven by insulin resistance. Sadly, many women with PCOS are prescribed HBC as a treatment when in reality it worsens the condition by exacerbating the insulin sensitivity issues.
8. It’s Linked to Serious Health Risks
While not everyone will experience these, the research shows:
Increased risk of gallstones – The risk for developing gallstones is 35-50% higher in women who take oral contraceptives.
Higher risk of cancer – Including breast, cervical, liver and uterine cancers. Thankfully the risk reduces after a year of going off HBC.
Blood clots and stroke - Oral contraceptives increase the risk of stroke and blood clots by 60% at the lowest estrogen dose, and higher at increased doses.
Hormone-Free Birth Control Options
Some women need or want to be on hormonal birth control and I completely understand that and support every woman’s decision for her own body. Birth control isn't about making the right or wrong choice —it's about making an informed decision that aligns with your health needs. We also go through different phases in our life and different ages, and sometimes it’s the best choice in terms of preventing pregnancy. So don’t feel guilty if you choose to take HBC or have in the past.
If you do want alternative methods however, here are three that are worth considering:
Fertility Awareness Method (FAM)
Mechanism: Involves tracking fertility signs such as basal body temperature, cervical mucus, and ovulation symptoms to identify fertile days and avoid unprotected sex during those times.
Pros: FAM doesn’t have any negative side effects as it’s an observational method. It also promotes a deeper understanding of your cycle and hormones, helping you be more in tune with your body.
Cons: This method has a greater learning curve but devices like TempDrop can make it quite easy. Learn more here! You have to abstain from unprotected sex for a portion of the month (your fertile window) to avoid pregnancy.
Effectiveness: 95% to 99% effective when used correctly.
Final Thoughts: I personally love the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) and have been using it effectively since 2018. It’s not right for everyone however, because it does rely on you closely tracking your cycle.
Copper IUD
Mechanism: The copper IUD is a plastic device wrapped in copper inserted into your uterus to prevent pregnancy. The research isn’t entirely clear on how it works but we know that it causes an inflammatory response in the uterus that’s toxic to sperm, and that it affects cervical mucus, preventing the sperm from reaching the egg. It also thins the endometrial lining, making it less hospitable for a fertilized egg to implant.
Pros: It doesn’t prevent your body from ovulating and producing it’s natural hormones. It’s effective at preventing pregnancy for 10 years, but you can have it removed at any time. It’s a discreet and private form of contraception.
Cons: Having it inserted or removed is often a rather painful procedure. It can cause estrogen dominance, heavier periods, more painful periods (heavy cramps), increased liver enzymes, and mineral imbalances (copper, zinc and iron). The copper IUD prevents pregnancy for 10 years but it can potentially start to break down sooner and cause negative health consequences. Lastly, there is a possibility of the copper IUD being expelled from the body (expulsion).
Effectiveness: More than 99% effective. It is one of the most reliable forms of contraception available, with a failure rate of less than 1%.
Final Thoughts: While the copper IUD is non-hormonal, it can indirectly affect your hormones and has some downsides when it comes to health. I believe those downsides are less so than hormonal birth control however.
Special Notes: If you have Wilson’s disease, which impacts how you process copper, you should not get the copper IUD.
Condoms
Mechanism: Condoms create a physical barrier that prevents sperm from reaching the egg, thereby preventing pregnancy.
Pros: As a non-hormonal option, it doesn’t interfere with your body’s hormones. They also protecting against sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Cons: Condoms can occasionally break or slip off during intercourse, reducing their effectiveness. Condoms can also reduce sensitivity during intercourse, especially for men.
Effectiveness: 99% effective with perfect use, 87% effective with typical use.
Final Thoughts: They get the job done.
Special Notes: There’s other barrier methods, like the diaphragm, but they aren’t quite as effective.
Thinking About Stopping Birth Control? Here’s How to Prepare Your Body First
One of the biggest mistakes women make when going off hormonal birth control is stopping without preparing their body first. Because birth control shuts down natural hormone production, your body needs time and support to start ovulating again, clear out synthetic hormones, and rebalance naturally.
And here’s something many women aren’t warned about: If you had issues like irregular periods, acne, or painful cycles before going on birth control, those will likely come back once you stop. The pill didn’t fix them—it just masked the symptoms— so addressing the root cause of your original period issues will likely be a part of your hormone balancing journey.
To reduce unwanted side effects like post-pill acne, mood swings, and missing periods, start supporting your body before stopping birth control by:
→ Replenishing lost nutrients – Magnesium, zinc, B vitamins, selenium, vitamin C, vitamin E, and CoQ10 help restore what birth control depleted.
→ Supporting detoxification – Cruciferous veggies, sulfur rich foods, and proper hydration are key.
→ Balancing blood sugar – Stable blood sugar = stable hormones. Start by focusing on protein, healthy fats, and fiber at every meal.
→ Healing the gut – A healthy gut helps your body properly eliminate excess estrogen and inflammation. Probiotics and a nutrient-dense diet are essential, as is addressing any constipation.
→ Encouraging ovulation – Stress management and progesterone-boosting nutrients can help bring ovulation back sooner and support progesterone levels.
Need Help Transitioning Off Birth Control?
If you're ready to stop hormonal birth control and would like my support reducing the “post pill” side effects and balancing hormones, book a free consultation to learn about working together! I offer personalized, functional nutrition support to help you:
→ Bring back ovulation naturally
→ Clear out synthetic hormones & replenish nutrients
→ Balance hormones & address estrogen dominance
→ Reduce post-pill acne, mood swings, and irregular cycles
→ Address the unwanted side effectives of HBC like gut issues and a sluggish metabolism
The best time to start supporting your body is before you stop birth control—and I’ll guide you every step of the way.
“I came off hormonal birth control with the help of Savannah. With all the preparation we did together and balancing hormones, my transition off of birth control has been seamless and uneventful — which is ideal! I felt so supported by her and truly felt like my successes were her successes. It was a perfect match for someone who was feeling lost when it came to body image, nutrition and how to best support my body.”
