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Let's start by saying how important contraception is. And moreover, the introduction of the contraceptive pill fuelled feminism and liberated women in the last century. However, young women are given easy access to it, without ever really being told about what it does to the body and what it can cause. So here's a little insight into several seldom discussed side effects:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- the synthetic oestrogen in the pill is much stronger than natural oestrogen and studies suggest that over time it can cause deep-seated hormonal imbalances, fibroids, PCOS and endometriosis.⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- it's bad for your gut health. We all know that antibiotics damage gut health, but the pill does too, and increases the chances of women developing inflammatory bowel conditions.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- it increases intestinal permeability. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- it causes malabsorption: that is, it prevents adequate absorption of nutrients. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - it depletes supplies of nutrients including folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium, selenium, and zinc.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Compromised gut health can cause many types of conditions including anxiety, depression, acne, psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin conditions, to gut complaints including bloating, pain, diarrhoea and constipation for example. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
If you have been diagnosed with I.B.S. or struggle with anxiety, depression or chronic stress, consider the impact that your contraceptive pill might be having. Whether you choose to come off the pill or stay on it, be sure to take steps to support your gut: take probiotics, and adopt an anti-inflammatory diet (unprocessed foods, plenty of water and supplements such as turmeric for example), exercise, and encourage your body to reduce inflammation, remove toxins and excess hormones through treatments such as reflexology, lymphatic drainage massage and acupuncture.