Switching to Non-hormonal Birth Control? Here Are 4 Options to Consider.
Learn why so many women are now choosing non-hormonal birth control.
Are hormone fluctuations disrupting your life? Migraines, change in libido, mood swings. Whatever your symptoms are – you’re tired of feeling like you’re not in control of your body and feelings.
With non-hormonal birth control, you can prevent pregnancy without all these side effects.
Many women switch to non-hormonal birth control to stabilize their hormones and understand their body’s natural cycle. Plus, switching to non-hormonal birth control can even help you get pregnant more easily when you’re ready.
How Does Hormonal Birth Control Work?
Many women stay on birth control for multiple years at a time. Maybe you went on hormonal birth control so long ago that you don't remember exactly how it works. Or worse, it was never explained to you in the first place.
The hormones in birth control prevent your body from ovulating, meaning your ovaries do not release an egg. When a sperm fertilizes an egg, it leads to pregnancy – so if there’s no egg to fertilize, it usually prevents pregnancy. (1)
The last week of birth control pills in your monthly pack are placebo pills that don't contain hormones. When you stop taking the hormonal pills, you experience bleeding caused by the withdrawal from the hormones.
Many women mistake a withdrawal bleed for an actual period. But since an egg was never released from your ovary, this bleed is different from a period releasing a non-fertilized egg.
Side Effects of Hormonal Birth Control
The hormonal birth control is classified as group 1 carcinogen. Being labeled a group 1 carcinogen means that there is “sufficient evidence” that an agent has the potential to cause cancer in humans. Furthermore, it can cause changes in your mood and regular body function that you may dislike. (5,6)
Some of the risks and side effects of using the pill include…(2)
Headaches and migraine – changes in your sex hormone can trigger head pain
Spotting – irregular bleeding in between periods
Mood changes – unexplained irritability or quickly changing moods
Low libido – decreased sex drive
Increased cardiovascular disease - blood clots, hypertension, stroke, heart attack
The Myth About IUDs
An IUD is another birth control method. This small device is put into your uterus to prevent pregnancy. Some women prefer this method because once it’s in place, it lasts for around 5 years. Unlike the birth control bill, which you have to remember to take every day for it to be effective. (4)
Two types of IUDs include…
Hormonal – similar to the pill, it releases hormones in your uterus that prevent pregnancy.
Copper – it changes the way that sperm cells move so they can’t reach the egg once in the uterus.
Many women are told that hormonal IUDs only produce hormones locally. This insinuates that these hormones are localized to your uterus and don’t affect the rest of your body.
But the truth is, sex hormones interact with your brain in constant feedback. So although the IUD is local, IUD hormones can still provide larger unwanted side effects.
Experiencing changes in your mood and health can have a serious impact on your daily life. But you don’t have to withstand these hormonal birth control side effects to prevent pregnancy. There are effective non-hormonal birth control options.
Benefits of Using Non-hormonal Birth Control
If you've been taking hormonal birth control for a while, you may not even realize how your body is being affected by the pill. Non-hormonal birth control gives you awareness of your body’s natural cycle.
Females are unique because they have a 28-day natural cycle. Your cycle is made up of 4 different phases:
Menstrual phase
Follicular phase
Ovulation phase
Luteal phase
Each phase of your cycle can affect your natural energy levels, mood, and stress response. Understanding your cycle can empower you to respect what your body needs during different times of the month.
Some female business owners even plan out their schedules based on their cycle. For example, in the follicular phase, you generally have more energy and increased mood. You could take advantage of this and plan to tackle your creative tasks during that time frame.
Beyond having a deeper understanding of your body, there are other benefits of non-hormonal birth control. You can avoid the…
Risks of hormonal birth control. Although rare, there are serious health risks linked to hormonal birth control. Evidence suggests that birth control pills could raise a person’s risk of blood clots, high blood pressure, or hypertension. In the worst cases this can lead to heart attack or stroke. (3)
Side effects of hormonal birth control. Like we mentioned, hormonal birth control can cause unwanted side effects like headaches, low libido, or mood swings. If you’re feeling emotionally vulnerable, it could be a sign you’re experiencing side effects from your hormonal birth control.
If you’re ready to take control back of your hormones and cycle, it’s time to explore your non-hormonal birth control options.
3 Proven Non-hormonal Birth Control Options
Be sure to have a pregnancy prevention method in place before you go off of hormonal birth control. Having a clear plan in place reduces the chance of unwanted pregnancy while you’re switching methods. Any of the non-hormonal birth control options below can be used on their own, or in combination for extra assurance.
Cycle Tracking. This method is when you track your cycle to determine when you are ovulating. There are only a few days each month where you can actually get pregnant (when you’re ovulating). If you accurately track these days and abstain from having unprotected sex while ovulating, this is quite effective.
There's a stigma around the “rhythm method” where women track their ovulation themselves. But now there are highly effective and FDA-approved apps that track your cycle and ovulation days, like Natural Cycles. If you’re using the cycle tracking method as your birth control, we recommend using a proven system like Natural Cycles.. LH Strips. Along with tracking your cycle, Lutenizing hormone strips can be used to confirm ovulation. LH is a hormone that spikes right before ovulation, inducing the release of the egg from the ovary. Knowing when you ovulate can further confirm fertile days.
Using LH strips is as simple as urinating on a small strip and checking for a positive or negative, just like a pregnancy test.
Barrier Methods. A simple way to prevent pregnancy is to always use a barrier method like a condom or diaphragm. These act as a block to prevent sperm from entering the uterus, where it can fertilize an egg.
Another benefit of the barrier method is it prevents sexually transmitted diseases. This is an important consideration since other non-hormonal birth controls don't prevent against STD's.
Gel. A new non-hormonal birth control method is prescription gel that prevents pregnancy. A woman uses this gel before sex which stops sperm from getting to an egg.
The gel’s job is to maintain a normal vaginal pH. It works to keep vaginal pH in the 3.5-4.5 range, which lowers sperm mobility. When sperm can’t swim, it lowers the chance of them reaching the egg.
Like any change in a health plan or medication, switching to non-hormonal birth control is an adjustment. Some women experience no side effects of coming off of hormonal birth control. While others may experience some mood swings or other changes when switching. Your body may need a few months to adjust.
Explore Your Non-hormonal Birth Control Options
If you’re ready to explore your non-hormonal birth control options, schedule a consultation with Denver Sports and Holistic Medicine. We’ll help you understand which option is best for you and how to use them. Plus, we’ll recommend a plan to help balance your hormones while your body adjusts to non-hormonal birth control.
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