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Long term use of birth control pills can be dangerous, but there are natural family planning alternatives you can use! Read more I share what we did for natural family planning and what some other options are out there to birth control pills.
Is long term use of birth control dangerous?
About 2 years after Adam and I were married and after starting this health discovery process, I started doing some research on birth control pills. I was taking a pill every day to prevent pregnancy… and I just kept reading that this was not healthy for me or my hormones.
So I started doing some research. I found that there are TONS of diseases linked to birth control pills – breast and cervical cancer being one of them! You can check more out more dangers of birth control here from Dr.Mercola
What are in birth control pills?
Birth control pills are a very high dose of estrogen that work by tricking your body into thinking you are pregnant so it doesn’t need to ovulate.
Medicinenet.com lists the most common side effects as ” nausea, headache, breast tenderness, weight gain, irregular bleeding, and mood changes.” Migraines, increased blood pressure, blood clots, heart attack, and stroke are also side effects of birth control pills. I had several friends who felt horrible on birth control pills and were experiencing the effect of the synthetic hormones.
Does birth control affect your gut health?
Birth control pills also destroy the good bacteria in your digestive system leaving you susceptible to yeast infections and other illness. Your bacteria in your gut is really vital to your immune system and health in general.
What are some natural family planning birth control options
With birth control pills being so common, the alternative options are hardly taught anymore.
I looked into several different options, but chose to go with Lady Comp and then later upgraded to Babycomp. It is a little computer with a basal temperature thermometer attached to it. Every morning you take your temperature and enter a few buttons – that’s it!
It uses a 3 color code (red, yellow, green) to tell you when you are fertile or not. If you are fertile and you choose to have sex, you need to use a non-pharmaceutical barrier method – like a condom or something you are comfortable with using.
Lady comp is obviously costly, but I quickly have made back my initial investment – I was spending anywhere from $15-$30 a month on birth control pills.
Tracking your Cycles
I also use fertility friend to chart my cycle. This is a free site and they even have a mobile app.
Taking Charge of Your Fertility is a great book with information on how to avoid pregnancy and also help when you are ready to get pregnant.
There are tons of other sites on techniques of testing yourself to see when you are fertile. I think it is good to be aware of your body and your cycle. The neat thing about using Lady comp – or it’s big brother, Baby comp – is that it can help you get pregnant when you decide it is time.
We were able to get pregnant the first month of trying because I knew my cycle so well. Read more about our birth story here.
Think about your health and what matters to you – I would rather take my temperature every day than have any one of those diseases mentioned, and that is why I chose something different.
What do you guys think about birth control? Leave me a comment, I’d love to hear what you think!
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I’ve been using bc since I was 17 because my menstrual symptoms were so severe. I’ve been considered not taking them again when I finish breast feeding. My only reasons for not quitting are that I would return to the days I couldn’t function well because of the pain, and Brandon likes the security in bc. He doesn’t want to try for another child, and bc seems to work very well for me. I have 6-7 months to make a decision. I’m praying for guidance from the Lord.
Have you been to see a natropath or other natural healthcare provider about your symptoms. From some reading I have done, there are several symptoms that can be alleviated through proper nutrition and vitamins. I know that my chiropractor put me on some supplements to regulate my hormones after I stopped breastfeeding trying to get my cycle back to normal.
Here’s my thought on birth control and “Lady Comp” in particular. I would not trust a little battery operated computer to tell you when you are fertile. Too much can go wrong – weak battery, bad sensors, faulty chip, etc. I would use SEVERAL devices in combination. Lady Comp plus other devices and techniques. If they ALL confirm that you are not fertile, then its probably safe to conclude that you are not fertile. And to be doubly secure, use a condom too.
Thanks Joe! And you are right – Lady comp has a wall plug in that I always have plugged in next to my bed. If the power goes out, then there is a battery back up, but I’ve never had to worry about that. I’ve been using my Babycomp for 6 years now with no issues at all. I did have to get the thermometer replaced maybe 3 years ago, but that is just normal wear and tear. Lady comp has hundreds of cycles saved in its memory to use with your saved cycles to predict when ovulation should occur. I know part of the cost of the device is paying for that data. I use fertility friend.com along with my Babycomp because I am a visual person and love seeing the graph of my cycle. I know the Pearl Index of the Ladycomp/Babycomp is 0.7. When compared with other contraceptive methods, is quite reliable. For me, I value non-invasive, non-hormonal, natural means of birthcontrol and this is perfect for me and has been perfect for the past 6 years. When I have a yellow or red light I just know I need to use condoms or abstain. Thanks again Joe for reading!
I’ve never heard of this clever device! You’re certainly right about the thought process on birth control.
Thanks for reading!!! I know lots of women who had issues with taking synthetic hormones for birth control. It is nice to have options.
I’ll take it one step further. I CAN’T take BC. I had a blood clot while on it after only three years. We have to rely on other methods. The catch is I’m not regular and have long perriods with cramps. I wonder as Obama care kicks in if my health care will cover something like this or condoms….
I know there are so many women like you who are unable to take birth control pills. I hope you find something that works for you. Do you have any idea why your cycles are irregular?
I have only been on birth control once, it was the patch after having my eldest son. It was recalled a couple of weeks later, but I felt horrible on it, and almost had a stroke. It even burned my skin. Everyone I know who’s actually endorsed birth control and tried to entice me to be on the one they were using ended up having problems later. That was always a clear sign to me that I should never use it. I always had something in the back of my mind telling me it wasn’t healthy at all and I frighteningly (but this was an uneducated thought) felt that it would “mess with” my fertility somehow. I have since heard from doctors that with my high blood pressure, it would probably never be safe for me to take birth control, which was a perfectly good reason for me to continue not to use it. Since Clint’s family is Catholic, they do believe in only natural family planning, but I still feel like that is a bit risky if a family, such as us, cannot afford to have another child right away, or to a woman like me, who has had a rough pregnancy and a c-section and SHOULDN’T have one right away. Yet, I must say, everytime I’ve used a condom, I’ve been convicted, like it is wrong to do. And I don’t know why. Maybe this device could really help me!
I hope so Heather! It has been so nice for me.
I’m enjoying reading your blog! This has been a recent issue for me as well. I started BC pills 5 years ago when Gary & I got married, but I stopped about 3 years in because I hated the way it made me feel. After reading up on how taking these hormones for so many years can affect your body, I decided it wasn’t right for me. However, after having our first baby my cycle came back while I was still BFing Carly and it came back strong. My doctor said I needed to start them again to get it under control quickly, so I did for about 6 months. I stopped again a couple months ago to see how I would do, and it is more manageable now and no longer a health risk. So I am off of them again. I’m having a few issues still and the Dr wants me to consider Mirena. I’m reading up on it now and it does not circulate hormone thru out your body only intrauterine. I’m not too hip on the idea, but if we can’t figure out how to get all my issues post baby under control this might be the way I need to go at some point =(
I am so sorry you have had to go through all that. I just did a little reading yesterday about natural hormone regulation and Vitex came up as one option. I am currently taking it for the opposite reason of what you are describing though. I have only had one period since Aidalyn was born. I am going to a chiropractor and his supplements really really helped me. I’m not sure if there is a local chiropractor there that specializes in nutrition, but I would recommend a second opinion since you don’t feel as comfortable with taking the synthetic hormones. I hope that you find your solution soon!
Hi! I’m so glad I found your blog…it has so much great information! I have been on bc pills on and off since I was 11 ( I’m 24 now) to control cramps and heavy bleeding. I got married 2 yrs ago, so now they’re actually serving to prevent pregnancy. I started grad school in August (for speech-pathology!), and we really don’t want to get pregnant while I’m in school for obvious reasons. I’ve heard of devices like this before, but I’m just terrified that I’ll get pregnant if I stop takin the pill, not to mention not wanting to deal with all the horrible menstrual symptoms while trying to go to school. Any advice? 🙂
Congrats on being in grad school for speech pathology! I was able to prevent pregnancy using Lady comp through undergraduate and grad school (I totally understand NOT wanting to be pregnant during that stressful time of your life). I was pretty regular before taking any birth control pills (I used BC pills for 2 years before switching to Lady comp.) The Lady comp took about 3 months to really narrow down my fertile window. During the time, we just used condoms and it was fine. During my fertile window, we also just used condoms (my midwife also recommended using a spermicide along with the condoms, but I never did). You could use something like Sylk that is highly acidic that also helps kill sperm without being a spermicide. Your menstrual symptoms could be related to vitamin deficiencies. Are you taking any vitamins that help reduce cramping? I read vitamin D can help. Let me know if you have any other questions!
[…] as you wake up while still lying down every morning. This is a common practice for women who follow natural birth control options and chart their basal body […]
Many women are not informed that hormonal pills ans IUDs also often act in anti-implantation way – while using them, a woman can still have breakthrough ovulation, what occurs frequently. Unfortunately a woman can still conceive an embryo, who because of synthetic hormones (or intrusion – coil) can’t attach to the mother’s uterine lining.