Nevertheless, all the information shared here is provided in a general sense and is intended to educate on the subject. Only a doctor who has the opportunity to examine and assess your health based on your medical history and other factors is the best person to talk to about your specific needs and requirements in any area, so always talk to them before making any decisions about your health.
Do you want to say goodbye to your hormonal birth control, but are afraid your hormones will become one big "ocean sink " full of tides? You are in the right place.
It can be very intimidating, feeling like you're getting rid of the safety net that keeps your natural hormonal fluctuations at bay for the months, or even years, that you've been taking it. It's hard to predict how your body will react and what your natural hormonal balance will be like after coming off the pill. Don't worry, there are ways to ease the transition and support the body in finding its own natural hormonal balance again. Here's your guide to getting off HAK, depending on what hormones you had before you went on it.
In each section below, you can follow all of the recommendations completely (in fact, we'd recommend that you do), but to make it easier, we've broken them down to help you prioritize yours.
So if ....
- you had easy or almost no hormonal fluctuations before taking it:
First of all: don't admit it, especially to other women! :))) Most of them may envy you. You may experience some lassitude or mild anxiety as your body gives up its daily dose of synthetic estrogen, but you'll probably be fine. Encouraging your body to start ovulating again and producing its own natural progesterone will help relieve any bad mood or anxiety and encourage regular symptom-free cycles. To help your body ovulate as soon as possible, make sure you: get enough sleep and manage stress. Try to limit the stresses that you can limit, such as excessive exercise, caffeine and alcohol. Make sure you eat plenty of wholesome, nutrient-dense foods and include a balanced ratio of healthy fats, good quality protein and the right kind of carbohydrates in your diet. Keep your vitamin and mineral levels at the level you need, especially zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6. These key nutrients nourish the ovaries and promote ovulation.
- you had problematic skin and acne before taking HAK:
HAK suppresses sebum production and can help keep acne at bay when you take it. In many cases, HAK does not help acne and has the opposite effect, your skin will respond to this suppression by upregulating sebum production even more, which is often why acne can get even worse within 3 to 6 months after stopping the pill. If you belong to this category of women, you need to prepare thoroughly for the discontinuation of HAK: increase your zinc intake. Zinc helps balance testosterone levels and protects your skin from androgen outbreaks. It is also advisable to reduce or eliminate dairy and refined sugars from your diet.
- you started with HAK at a young age:
When we are in puberty, our menstrual cycles can be very irregular and inconsistent, but over time, the communication between the brain and the ovaries strengthens and the cycles become more regular and more resistant to factors that can throw it out of balance. If you started with HAK before this pathway could develop into regular ovulation cycles, it may take some time for this to happen even after the pill. The best ways to support your body in this case are: replenishing your nutrient stores. HAK is known to deplete a whole bunch of essential nutrients, as we wrote about in part two of this series, including B vitamins, vitamin E, zinc, selenium, magnesium, and vitamin C. So eat a balanced diet with plenty of healthy fats and quality protein. Cholesterol and amino acids are the building blocks of our sex hormones.
- you had excessively painful cycles before taking HAK:
If your cycles were heavy, crampy, or extremely painful before you started taking HAK, you will need to try to support your estrogen levels and estrogen metabolism as you transition off of it. The estrogen we no longer need is metabolized in the liver and excreted in the intestine, so it is very important that each of these detoxification pathways work well for balanced hormones. Make sure: You eat a lot of cruciferous vegetables (i.e., broccoli, broccoli florets, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, cabbage, radishes, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, and watercress). Eat fibre-rich and probiotic foods to promote good gut health and regular bowel movements. Drink plenty of water, an essential aspect of all detoxes!
- you had irregular cycles before taking HAK:
The HAK does not regulate your cycle, but shuts it down and sets you up with a new one. If you had irregular periods or no periods before taking HAK, it is likely that the same problem will persist after you stop taking the pill. In this case, we recommend first finding out why it happened and looking for the cause with a doctor. To support your body in creating regular cycles: make sure you eat enough food and include a balanced ratio of healthy fats, good quality protein and the right kind of carbohydrates in your diet. Supplement with zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6, three key nutrients that nourish the ovaries and support ovulation each month.
When you stop taking HAK, your brain and ovaries may not communicate with each other for days, months, and in some cases years - expect that it may be a little uncomfortable at first! There may be a few problems along the way, but remember that the transition is temporary and to some extent inevitable (unless you plan to stay on birth control forever).
Remember, any use or discontinuation of HAK must be clearly approved by your doctor.
You can also make an appointment with our gynaecologist for advice on hormonal contraception:
02 / 52 444 022
0911 108 741
info@frais.sk
online chat 09:00-16:00
Wishing you a beautiful day
Ivana Bartosova,
Marketing Manager of the FRAIS Health and Beauty Institute
