I came off contraceptives In 2018 after almost 15years! 

I had spent most of my teens on the pill from the age of 13 or 14.

I went straight on to the depot.

And from there, the Implanon.

I went on the pill so young because my Mum saw a fortunate teller who told her I’d be pregnant at 16!

Yeah, f*ck that - thanks, Mum! 

 ... Pass me the pill 💊 

I never really knew what these forms of contraception were doing to my hormones; all I knew was I wasn’t getting pregnant, and this was the answer.

But when you are on the pill, the depot, the Implanon, you are suppressing your naturally occurring hormones and, more importantly, suppressing ovulation.

Ovulation is the main event of your cycle. By suppressing ovulation, you do not make progesterone. The contraceptives supply you with a synthetic alternative - progestin. 

Which is not the same.

Progesterone calms estrogen. When you fail to ovulate and then do not make progesterone, you don't get the calming effects of estrogen, and that's when PMS symptoms and severe period issues can arise.

Periods are not an inconvenience!

Periods are a normal healthy, natural process for a woman to experience.

If your period arrives each month on time without much issue, that is your tick of health approval. Your body is working as it should.

Irregularities to this to your ‘normal’ is your red flag for something isn’t working as it should.

Embrace the bleed. Cycle regular. 

Make sure you KNOW what the form of contraception does to you. 

And be informed! 

I now track my cycle and monitor my symptoms. I use a temperature checker to take my waking body temp, and the algorithm looks for trends in temperature spikes, which will indicate ovulation. 

This is called the Fertility Awareness Method “FAM”

If you want to learn more about this a book I highly recommend (and credit this ovulatory graph to) is Lara Briden's The Period Repair Manual.

Proactive Perimenopause

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