Dr. Jolene Brighten - 29 Jan

To every little girl whos been told she talks too

much or asks too many questions.

And to all the women who went before us so

that we could see there is a better way.

Contents

Angela hadnt had her period in over a year. After months of progesterone withdrawals, blood tests, an MRI, and one recommendation after another to either go back on the pill or move forward with IVF, she made her way to my office as a last-ditch effort in hopes of seeing her cycle return. She had stopped using the pill more than a year before she decided to try to become pregnant. But the end of the pill also meant the end of her periodsand for Angela, this meant no hope for a baby. After more than a decade on the pill, her body no longer followed its original rhythm.

Angela began the pill after her doctor offered it up as a solution for her menstrual pain and suggested that it would help control her acne too. At age sixteen, the pill seemed like a gifther periods were easier and lighter, and her skin looked better. But at twenty-nine, Angela grew concernedshe knew she could always try for a baby with IVF, but she had to wonder: Just what had happened to her periods? Why had her cycle changed so drastically?

What Angelas doctor didnt tell her is that some women never see a return of their periods after stopping the pill. Its known as post-pill amenorrhea and is defined by missing a period for more than three months after stopping the pill if you had regular cycles before the pill, or six months if your cycles were irregular. In Angelas case, her doctors should have seen red flags when she went to them after four months of no period.

While as many as 40 percent of women who come off the pill experience menstrual irregularities like post-pill amenorrhea or short luteal phase (frequent periods), regardless of how long they are on the pill, most women are never told about this risk.

Its not the only risk your doctor isnt telling you about.

If youve picked up this book, you are likely questioning your relationship with the pill. Are you thinking about starting the pill? Or getting off the pill? Either way, Ive got your back. Do you want to know how the pill really affects your body (psst, it aint good) or what you can do to minimize your risk while on it? Or are you wondering if some of those alarming side effects they list on the packet (like stroke!) are true and if there is anything you can do to protect yourself? Yes, they are true, and Im here to tell you that those side effects arent the only ones. Are you worried that if you stop taking the pill you will have horrible periods or acne again? Or did you already ditch your birth control pill but instead of blissful, predictable periods you are now dealing with hormonal chaos? Yikes! I see this in my clinic every day, and I have to tell you, its not that uncommon for periods to come back with a vengeance: heavy, painful, and with raging acne or wild mood swings. If any of these scenarios sound familiar, then this book is for you.

Whatever your relationship with the pill, you are in the right place. Wherever you are on your journey, this book will provide you with the best tools to help you. Straight out of the gate, I want you to know Im not anti-pill. Nope. Im proinformed consent, which means doctors giving you all the information you need to consent to taking birth control.

I spent more than a decade on the pill and know all too well the symptoms of hormonal chaos that follow when you stop the pill for good. More than half of us are put on the pill for reasons other than preventing pregnancy, and ending that relationship can result in some serious period problems. This book will help you understand what those hormonal symptoms mean, how the pill is affecting your body, and what to do if you either need to stay on it or are ready to get off it. Youre about to discover how to kick your unwanted hormone symptoms, reclaim your hormone health, and make friends with your periodall in 30 days.

In This Chapter

• The down-and-dirty facts about the pill
• Why the pill wont fix your period
• Why postbirth control syndrome (PBCS) might be your worst nightmare
• How the 30-Day Brighten Program can reset your hormones
• What your hormones are telling you

The Pill: The Good, the Badand the Ugly

Without a doubt, the pill has benefitted women tremendously. I want to be clear: theres no judgment from me if youre currently on the pill. (As I just mentioned, I took it for a long-ass time myself!) The advent of the pill was revolutionary, and it resulted in sweeping social and economic improvements that gave women the freedom to choose whether or not to have children and work outside the home. It quite literally changed womens lives. In fact, one study found that the pill was partly responsible for an estimated 30 percent increase in womens wages by the 1990s. Access to the pill also contributed to higher college enrollment and completion rates among women in the 1960s and 1970s.

While I strongly believe women should have access to all forms of birth control, I also think every woman should have a resource to turn to in order to decide what is best for her body and reduce her risk if she starts taking the pill. The truth is, the pill hasnt kept up with the times, and theres been a bit of an If it aint broke, then dont fix it attitude about it. Pharmaceutical companies have very little incentive to improve upon the pill because they know the burden of pregnancy falls on us. We are womenwe cultivate, gestate, and birth life, which is pretty badass but can also hijack our aspirations if were not ready. Which is why we all can be grateful for a means to prevent pregnancy, but this also leaves us asking, Why havent we seen more advancements in this area? Women have complained of side effects since the introduction of the pill in the 1960s, but often these concerns are dismissed, and studies as well as doctors have told us that what were experiencing simply isnt true. (To be fair, the majority of studies have only been able to demonstrate an association of the pill with symptoms, not causation.) Theres an unspoken truth in all of this: women will tolerate even the worst side effects in order to maintain their freedom. Some of these side effects are seriousand many of them you probably dont even know about, just like Angela, because no one has brought them to your attention. Until now.

The Risky Business of the Pill

Youve probably heard that the pill can make you gain weight or cause you to be moody. Well, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association of over one million women showed that women who began the pill were more likely to be prescribed an antidepressantwhich means it contributes to a bit more than moodiness. Maybe you also read about the risk of stroke on the package, which warns against taking the pill if youre over thirty-five or a smoker. But did you know the pill is also associated with an increased risk of autoimmune disease, heart attack, and thyroid and adrenal disorders?

Unfortunately, too many women are prescribed the pill for non-contraceptive reasonspainful periods, endometriosis, PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), acnewithout being told of the possible ramifications on their body and hormones. Your doctor really does want you to feel better; its just that theyre taught to see the pill as a simple solution to [fill in the lady trouble]. If youve been prescribed the pill for something other than birth control, maybe you heard that inner voice whispering, This doesnt seem right. Well, that voice is on to something.

What I see in my clinical practice every day are women with hormone imbalances, looking for a solutionany solutionto their symptoms beyond the conventional dangerous options of birth control, hysterectomies, and IVF. They want a root-cause solution and a better understanding of how to take care of their bodies. This is what I treat, and Im so glad youve picked up this book, because that solution is now in your hands. This book is for women whove had their hormone symptoms dismissed by their doctors or are looking to take ownership of their health and bodies. Women whove been told, The side effects are so minimal. Why are you even asking about them? The pill will not fix hormone imbalance, and youre right to question that. If youre one of these women suffering needlessly with hormonal imbalance, or taking the pill for that imbalance but wondering how you might treat your symptoms more naturally, then this book is for you.