What Happens To A Woman’s Body When She Stops Using Hormonal Birth Control

Hormonal birth control is often seen as one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century. It gave women the ability to control their own bodies and manage reproduction. However, birth control can also have many unpleasant side effects, which are often ignored by advocates of birth control. Though it is a fantastic form of contraception, birth control does not work for everyone.

Stops Using Hormonal Birth Control

Normally, a woman’s fertility cycle is guided by shifting levels of hormones, and when estrogen peaks during the cycle, the ovaries release a mature egg that can be fertilized. Hormonal birth control works by altering hormone levels to stop ovulation from happening. The synthetic estrogen in birth control keeps follicle stimulating hormone from developing a mature egg in the first place while the synthetic progestin stops luteinizing hormone from releasing an egg. Different brands of birth control have different levels of hormones, so they have slightly different side effects. After years of taking birth control, most women think that the side effects are normal, so they are often unprepared for the changes that occur when they stop taking hormonal birth control.

Weight Loss
According to scientific research, a third of the women who start using hormonal birth control end up gaining weight, due to a combination of hormones, diet, and water retention. The hormones in Depo-Provera are particularly likely to cause weight gain. Therefore, some women have a slight, yet noticeable, weight loss of about two to five pounds. The progesterone and estrogen in some birth control can also make breasts grow, so after a woman stops birth control, she may notice that her bras are a little too big now.

Stronger Periods
Many women go on birth control to keep their periods from being long and their cramps from being harsh. If you are one of these women, then you might notice an increase in period length and intensity. However, this is not always necessarily the case. Some women start using birth control as teenagers, when their periods were irregular, so by the time they stop using hormonal birth control, their periods may be more manageable.

RELATED ARTICLE: Not Feeling Desire For Closeness? Your Birth Control Is Killing Your Love Hormone
