Birth Control Option #: Implant
The birth control implant is inserted as a rod into your arm and can last up to 3 years. The implant contains only progestin, therefore it has been shown to relieve the symptoms associated with endometriosis, as progestin can make the lining of the uterus thinner. This will also ease the pain that accompanies menstrual cramps.
Tips For Balancing Hormones And Regulating Periods Naturally
When I went into menopause I had to deal with unbalanced hormones and an unpredictable menstrual cycle all over again! But it was natural because I was in perimenopause . Thats what a womans body experiences as she approaches menopause: decreased hormones, unbalanced cycles, missed periods. Perimenopause is a natural stage with a lighter flow, bursts of heaviness, skipped periods, and an unpredictable cycle.
Do you know why your periods are irregular? That is the first, best, and most important way to stabilize your cycle: find out why your body is out of balance. No blog post, online article or health website can tell you why your own body isnt healthy or regular. This is work you and your health practitioner need to do together. You are the expert on your body your doctor or naturopath is the expert in her field. If you work together with you being as honest and accurate as you can about your health and body issues you will find ways to regulate your period. They may not be natural at first, depending on the reasons your hormones are out of balance. But if you give yourself time, your body will heal and regulate herself. And you will enjoy your periods!
If youre taking prescription medications, remember that even natural herbal supplements can negatively affect your hormones, periods, and overall health. Always make sure that your prescriptions are compatible with any herbal remedy even organic tea for menstrual regularity.
Contraceptive Hormonal Vaginal Ring
There is also a contraceptive vaginal ring available. It contains low doses of oestrogen and progestogen. It can help control your periods and often makes bleeding more regular, lighter and sometimes less painful.
Talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks of hormonal medicines and their effects on periods.
You May Like: How To Lower Dhea Hormone
When To See A Gp
You don’t need to get medical advice if you have always had slightly irregular periods or you’re still going through puberty.
But see a GP if:
- your periods suddenly become irregular and you’re under 45
- you have periods more often than every 21 days or less often than every 35 days
- your periods last longer than 7 days
- there’s a big difference between your shortest and longest menstrual cycle
- you have irregular periods and you’re struggling to get pregnant
There might not be anything wrong, but it’s a good idea to get checked out to see what the cause might be.
You might be referred to a specialist called a gynaecologist if you need any tests or treatment.
Can Birth Control Help Treat Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a painful condition caused when the uterine lining grows outside the uterus. The uterine lining sheds during menstruation. Uterine lining growing outside the uterus has nowhere to go, and this causes extremely painful cramps. And, as tissue builds up over time, the tissue can become swollen and inflamed.
Birth control with high levels of progestin is a common treatment for endometriosis. The pill can be used to skip your period, which keeps the uterine lining from shedding and stops painful endometriosis symptoms. Progestin also thins the uterine lining, which can lessen painful symptoms when you do get your period.
Read Also: What Can I Use To Balance My Hormones
What Can I Do Myself
If heavy periods become such a problem that they interfere with your everyday life, then you can try taking things a little easier on those days. Some women find that relaxation techniques or yoga help them feel more relaxed and reduce stress. Getting a lot of exercise can also help.
Women with heavy periods are often advised to change their diet: For instance, certain fatty acids, vitamins or fibers are claimed to help. But making changes to your diet hasnt been proven to reduce heavy menstrual bleeding or the related problems. This is also true for sports, homeopathic products and .
Foods that are rich in iron can help to prevent anemia. Examples include meat, legumes, green leafy vegetables and wholegrain bread.
Whats Inside The Pill
There are two main types of contraceptive pills: combined oral contraceptives and so-called progestogen-only pills, or POPs . Both types contain synthetic analogs of female sex hormones. COCs have both synthetic estrogens and synthetic forms of progesterone , while the POPs contain progestogens alone.
Female sex hormones influence the body at different levels. Thats why, apart from preventing unintended pregnancy, birth control pills can treat hormonal imbalance or mitigate symptoms related to the menstrual cycle.
Also Check: Gynecologist Specializing In Hormone Imbalance
What If My Daughters Period Is Very Light While Shes Taking Birth Control Pills
Your daughters period may be so light when she is taking birth control pills that she may only have a brown smudge on a tampon, pad, panty shield, or her underwear. The hormone doses in birth control pills are very low. This means that the lining of your daughters uterus doesnt become very thick, so very little blood needs to come out each month.
Do Birth Control Pills Help With Acne
Breakouts happen to everyone. Most women notice a couple of pimples popping up near their periods. When facials, face masks and cleansers dont help, you might be surprised to find out that birth control pills can.
The ovaries produce a hormone called androgen. Androgen helps produce oils on the skin. If you produce higher than average levels of androgen or are more sensitive to androgens in the blood, this can cause frequent breakouts.
Combination birth control pills can help lower the amount of androgen you produce, which can help reduce hormonal acne.
Read Also: Can You Give Dogs Melatonin Gummies
Will The Pill Make My Daughters Cramps Better
For girls who experience severe menstrual cramps and over-the-counter medications do not help, birth control pills may be the solution. Birth control pills can help to decrease menstrual cramps. Because the combined birth control pills prevent ovulation, they also get rid of pain that your daughter may experience with ovulation in the middle of her menstrual cycle.
What Are Birth Control Pills
Birth control pills are a type of hormone replacement therapy. They contain synthetic hormones that disrupt the natural hormonal cycle to stop ovulation. In a womans natural hormonal cycle, estrogen and progesterone fluctuate. Estrogen peaks right before ovulation, and progesterone right after.
Birth control pills work by providing the body with synthetic hormones to keep them consistently high, fooling the body into thinking its pregnant to prevent your ovaries from releasing an egg.
The original purpose of birth control pills, of course, was to stop pregnancy, however conventional medicine doctors are quick to prescribe the pill for other reasons, such as hormone balance, acne, PMS, painful periods, ovarian cysts, fibroids, mood swings, and perimenopause, just to name a few.
Read Also: Can You Take Unisom With Melatonin
Concerns With Using The Pill For Hormone Balance
Science Based Amy Myers, MD
Amy Myers, M.D. is a functional medicine physician, trained and certified by The Institute of Functional Medicine. Dr. Myers earned her Doctor of Medicine at the LSU Health Science Center, and completed her Emergency Medicine residency at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Dr. Myers retired from her functional medicine clinic, Austin UltraHealth, where she served thousands of patients, to empower those who were failed by conventional medicine. Shes a 2x New York Times bestselling author, and the founder and CEO of the health & lifestyle e-commerce brand, Amy Myers MD®.
Picture this scenario: a 15 year-old girl walks into her doctors office complaining of acne and painful, irregular periods. Her doctor is quick to write a prescription for birth control pills, telling her that it will support hormone balance, regulate her menstrual cycle, and stop the acne. While on the medication, her skin clears and her periods are regular and pain-free, shes thrilled and remains on the pill without a second thought of long-term effects. That is until years later when she tries to start a family.
In another case, a woman in her late 30s or early 40s is experiencing perimenopausal symptoms of mood swings, irregular bleeding, hot flashes, and night sweats. Her OB/GYN wants to put her on a birth control pill to alleviate her symptoms instead of working to figure out the root cause of her hot flashes and mood changes.
Make Sure Youre Getting Enough Fats
Consuming enough fats may support hormone levels and ovulation. Polyunsaturated fatty acids appear to make the most difference.
Common sources include:
- flax seeds
The Cleveland Clinic recommends that 20 to 35 percent of your daily calories should be from fat. Approximately 5 to 10 percent of these calories should come specifically from PUFAs.
You May Like: Dermatologist Recommended Skin Care Routine For Hormonal Acne
Does The Birth Control Pill Cause Cancer
The truth is that the Pill actually protects against cancer of the ovaries and cancer of the lining of the uterus. A woman is half as likely to get cancer of the uterus or ovaries if she has taken birth control pills. Most experts believe that taking the Pill does not cause any increased risk of getting breast cancer. Even girls with a family history of breast cancer can take the Pill.
How Can I Find The Right Solution For Me
Different women experience their periods differently, and the amount of menstrual blood they lose can vary naturally from month to month. But the amount of stress caused by heavy periods can only be determined by the woman herself: Whereas some women who have heavy periods may not think its a big problem, others already feel very uncomfortable with less heavy periods.
Its important to first have a doctor look for possible causes of the heavy periods. In most cases you can then take your time to decide whether to start treatment and consider which of the treatment options is right for you. If you’re not sure, it may be a good idea to get a second medical opinion especially if a hysterectomy has been recommended. Our decision aid may help here. It briefly summarizes the main pros and cons of the different treatments.
Recommended Reading: Does Organic Meat Have Hormones
But I Do Get My Period When I’m Taking The Pill
You may wonder that if these aren’t real hormones you get on the Pill, then why do you get your period?
Actually, you don’t get your period Yes, you do bleed every month, but this isn’t real period. No real hormones, no real period either.
The bleed you get when you’re on birth control is caused by a sudden drop of hormones that happens during those seven days when you don’t take the pill, or take placebo pills.
You may also think that your period is super regular because your cycle seems to always be 28 days long That’s not true either because the sequence is just set up that way so that it seems normal to you. The drug companies could choose any other number too if they wanted. It really doesn’t matter because again, the bleed you get on the birth control pill doesn’t have anything to do with your own hormones.
Birth Control Option #: Oral Contraceptives
The birth control pill is the most commonly used form of contraception in the United States. There are different types of contraceptive pills and they differ based on the amount of the hormones estrogen and progestin are in them. The combination birth control pill contains both estrogen and progestin whereas the mini pill contains only progestin. As you take either of these pills, your levels of estrogen and/or progestin increase in your body. High levels of these hormones prevent the ovary from releasing an egg.
The birth control pill is used to treat a number of conditions including PCOS, endometriosis, irregular periods, menstrual cramps and conditions that are caused by low levels of estrogen. As the pill prevents the ovary from releasing an egg, the pill can help reduce the development of cysts associated with PCOS. The hormones released by the pill also make the lining of the uterus thinner, which results in lighter periods. This is why the pill is also used as a treatment for endometriosis.
Read Also: Hormone Positive Breast Cancer Recurrence
What Are The Precautions And Risk Factors For Taking Minipills
Overall the minipill is safe. However, before taking the minipill:
- Tell your doctor if you are allergic to any medications, progestins, aspirin, or tartrazine .
- Tell your doctor if you are taking any vitamins, prescription or nonprescription medications. Your doctor may monitor you closely for side effects or change the dosage.
- Do not smoke while taking minipills. Smoking can increase risk of heart attacks and stroke.
- Cancer risks associated with minipills are not consistent when studies are performed. This pill will not prevent the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Natural Remedies For Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
If youve been diagnosed with a health condition such as polycystic ovary syndrome, your natural remedies definitely need to help correct your hormonal imbalance. PCOS interferes with ovulation and fertility. Polycystic ovary syndrome is caused by unbalanced hormones, which can lead to irregular menstrual cycles and problems getting pregnant. Symptoms can include small cysts on your ovaries, infrequent or irregular vaginal bleeding, excess male-type hair growth , and acne.
I was diagnosed with PCOS when my husband and I went to a fertility clinic because we couldnt get pregnant. It wasnt the ovarian syndrome that was preventing pregnancy, it was the fact that my husband has azoospermia and doesnt produce sperm. Nevertheless, the fertility specialist gave me natural tips for balancing my hormones and getting regular periods. She said the most important things are regular exercise, a healthy diet, no smoking, and weight control are keys to treating polycystic ovary syndrome successfully. Prescription medications are also helpful for some women, but it depends on her body, age, and goals for a future family.
You May Like: How Long Do You Take Hormone Therapy For Breast Cancer
Acupuncture For Regular Flow And Balanced Hormones
Acupuncture is a naturopathic remedy that balances hormones and regulates blood flow. I interviewed a Certified Contemporary Medical Acupuncturist in Acupuncture for Fertility and Getting Pregnant. Heres what she said about how acupuncture affects female health and fertility.
For women, acupuncture has been known to:
- Regulate menstrual cycles.
- Regulate hormones to produce a better quality eggs and to produce a larger number of follicles during infertility treatments, decreasing FSH levels if elevated, and increasing estrogen levels if these are low.
- Increase implantation rates in in vitro fertilization and intrauterine insemination by 40%.
- Increasing blood flow to the reproductive organs and nourishing the thickness of the uterine lining.
- Improve sperm quality and quantity.
- Help to relieve the side effects of stimulation drugs during assisted reproductive technology or infertility treatments.
- Easing stress, anxiety and depression, and promoting deep relaxation.
Even if youre not actively trying to conceive, consider a consultation with an acupuncturist. My husband tried it for male infertility, but it didnt work. He did say that he felt calm, relaxed, rested and peaceful after every acupuncture session.
Tibetan Herbal Balls For Digestion And Overall Health
This will probably be a stretch for you, unless you have access to a Tibetan medical doctor. Which, of course, do exist outside Tibet, Nepal and India! My most recent and successful personal health experiment was a few months ago in Nepal. I went on a Tibetan Encounter Tour that included a free health consultation with Dr Youdon Tsering, a Tibetan medical doctor. We were at the health clinic at the Tashiling refugee in Pokhara it was my first encounter with Tibetan herbal medicine. Id been having intestinal issues in Nepal, which started a couple weeks before I left Vancouver, Canada. The herbal balls cleared up my issues overnight. Learn more in my blog post Will Tibetan Herbal Medicine Make You Healthy?
When a doctor or health provider is prescribing medicine, take a few moments to listen to your intuition. Do you feel a green light, a sense that maybe this might be worth trying? Or do you feel a red light a red flag telling you that you need to get more information before taking this medicine? Give your mind, spirit and body the time and space you need to decide.
Don’t Miss: What Can Help Hormonal Acne
Do Birth Control Pills Regulate My Period
Contrary to popular belief, hormonal birth control pills do not regulate your period, but rather suppress ovulation by shutting down hormone production at the level of the brain.
Hormonal birth control pills do have a profound impact on the reproductive system and it may take a period of time for your cycles to return after stopping them.
If you are taking hormonal birth control pills to try to regulate your period, be aware that once you come off of them, youll likely still need to address the underlying cause of your irregularity.
Read more:Why You Should See a Holistic OB/GYN
Using The Pill To Regulate Periods: How It Works
More than half of all birth control pill users in the U.S. take the pill for purposes other than or in addition to contraception. Doctors often prescribe hormonal contraceptives to manage menstrual cramps or regulate periods.
Lets look at the science behind these uses of hormonal contraception, together with the European Board and College of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
You May Like: Where Can I Go To Get My Hormones Checked