From acacia gum to elephant dung

From coitus interruptus to coitus reservatus

Human beings have practiced birth control since long before the Book of Genesis (and there is reference to withdrawal in there too!).

Controlling procreation is an age-old conundrum that defies a perfect solution (other than abstinence, which is arguably imperfect). No method, ancient or modern, can claim to be 100% effective, and several of them have health effects that most people don’t consider.

Alas, this post will not disclose a long-lost, natural, safe, effective, scientifically-validated recipe for birth control. We’ll put that in the same clandestine class as the elixir of immortality. If you happen to hold such godlike knowledge, I’m all ears.

In the meantime, I’ll dare to wade into the quagmire of controversy that is modern birth control.

First a disclaimer: if I had a sexually-active teenage daughter, I’d support her in taking the birth control pill if that’s what she desired (with liver support!). Within that context, I’ll outline my concerns with oral contraceptives and IUDs and then discuss other options.

Oral contraceptives (doom and gloom): 

1. Hard on the liver. Even low dose options place a burden on the liver. Exogenous hormones (those not made by the body) put pressure on liver detoxification pathways that handle hormonal conversion and elimination. The increased traffic can lead to hormonal imbalances and compromise overall detoxification functions. More specific side effects may include nausea, weight gain, mood changes including anxiety, breast tenderness, spotting, change in periods and vision changes. Much more serious (and less common) side effects include blood clots, which can lead to lung emboli or strokes.
2. Alters physiology. Oral contraceptives change the period. Monthly menstruation is an important event that serves a purpose (easy for a man to say!). It may in fact contribute to a woman’s longer life expectancy due to increased detoxification options and decreased iron stores (iron is pro-oxidative). Many women report feeling cleansed after a period although research supporting the release of toxicity during menstruation is flimsy at best. Taking the pill alters menstrual flow and may affect the kind of substances released with the menstrual flow. Certainly after menopause, women become more like men in the way they detoxify (more male-pattern hair growth and sweat glands due to hormonal shifts which encourage detoxification through the skin / hair).
3. Long-term use can aggravate or cause hormonal imbalances. It is mind-boggling to me that long-term hormones can be prescribed so easily, occasionally with accompanying counsel that there are no long-term negative health consequences, even when several studies suggest otherwise. In addition, this approach discounts the wisdom of nature and the natural rhythms of the body. From a holistic perspective, it stagnates the liver, increases stress on adrenal glands and can therefore decrease thyroid hormone production. It stands to reason (and clinical experience suggests) that taking external hormones over years can decrease internal production of estrogen and progesterone through negative feedback. These hormonal shifts can prevent a woman’s period from re-regulating after stopping the Pill and can potentially affect future fertility.
4. No period. There is a trend now towards completely blotting out the menstrual cycle through continuous use of oral contraceptives which heightens the concerns presented above. Period.
5. An incomplete solution to cycle irregularities. Birth control pills may be prescribed to manage an irregular or painful cycle, caused by an underlying health condition. Such conditions include endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome. While hormonal imbalances do exist in these conditions, masking the hormonal imbalance by adding the Pill will not correct it in a sustainable way. For more information on how to support hormonal imbalances, check out next week’s post.
6. An imperfect solution for acne. Birth control pills are often prescribed to manage acne. This ‘works’ for many young women. But as we’ve discussed before, just because something ‘works’ doesn’t mean it’s the best solution. Often acne returns when women stop birth control. By masking the true imbalance in cases of acne (dysbiosis is an important contributor), other health conditions may persist or worsen while the woman is taking the Pill for this purpose.

Oral contraceptives (the positive outlook)

1. There are low dose options. (Low dose is likely safer than high dose; long term use of some high dose options have been associated with increased risk of breast cancer, for example).
2. Prevent imbalances. There are ways to mitigate potential negative health impacts associated with taking birth control. The most important aspect is liver support. For women who’ve been on the pill for longer than a year or who have an underlying hormonal imbalance, adrenal and / or pineal support becomes important as well. For women stopping the pill, the same sort of support can help restore optimal hormonal balance and support fertility.
3. Health promotion is always possible. Women can still address any underlying immune and / or hormonal imbalances while taking birth control. Doing so can restore homeostasis and help people come off without the negative consequences that led to the hormonal prescription in the first place. I’ve seen many women who were prescribed hormones for acne or hormonal imbalances transition off of birth control with few to no negative side effects.

IUDs (negative and positive)

1. Hormonal-based IUDs can alter hormone balance in much the same way as oral contraceptives, even though their effects are generally less strong / systemic. Hormonal-based IUDs frequently lighten or completely suppress the period, leading to the same concerns around decreased detoxification pathways for the body.
2. Copper-based IUDs don’t alter hormone levels but for some women they come with undesirable side effects; heavy bleeding and increased cramping are the most common. For other women, copper IUDs are well-tolerated and are the favoured option.
3. Effects on the uterus. A gifted Osteopath I know has concerns about the impact of IUDs on uterine positioning within the pelvis and how this impacts the overall rhythms of other organ systems. These more subtle, energetic measures of health can have profound impacts on distant organs, and create symptoms that may seem unrelated to other practitioners. If symptoms arise after an IUD placement, an Osteopath trained in biodynamics would be a good person to consult.

Other options

1. Hormonal Implants or Depo-Provera shots. Hormonal methods that completely suppress menstruation pose even more risks; too many longer-term negative side effects are possible.
2. Hormone Patch or Vaginal Hormone Ring. Organ support for clearance of hormones is important, as discussed above.
3. Diaphragm. Good option if it works well for the woman. Does not prevent several STIs. Spermicide, correct fitting and correct timing are needed to ensure effectiveness.
4. Condoms. Good option if it works for both partners. The only contraceptive method that can prevent STIs. Like a diaphragm, proper use is needed to ensure effectiveness. Condoms can break.
5. Coitus interruptus. A man withdraws before ejaculation. Widely used method of birth control prior to oral contraceptives and IUDs. Studies show that the pre-ejaculate of some men can contain sperm, so this is not a sure-fire method for those men. Unless you have this test run, you never know if you are one of those men (aside from trial and error). For men whose pre-ejaculate does not contain sperm, it still requires good awareness to make it effective.
6. Rhythm method. Based on tracking ovulation by measuring temperature and cervical mucous, this works best when a woman has a regular menstrual cycle. It is an imperfect method, as ovulation can happen more than once within a cycle. When combined with condom use or abstinence during fertile periods, effectiveness is increased.
7. Tantric techniques. Foreign to many people is the fact that the male orgasm is not synonymous with ejaculation. Orgasm can occur without ejaculation. Methods 5-7 require more awareness and practice to ensure effectiveness and are best practiced within committed relationships where both partners understand the potential for conception.