There are many reasons beyond birth control that many women start taking the pill. However, there are also countless side-effects that doctors often don’t warn us about. Things can get even more complicated once you decide to stop taking hormonal birth control. Dr. Jolene Brighten has made it her mission to study this relationship between birth control and your body so that women can take better control of their health.

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Dr. Brighten is a functional medicine and naturopathic medical doctor and the founder of Rubis Health, a clinic specializing in women’s hormones. She is recognized as a leading expert in post-birth control syndrome and the long term effects of hormonal contraceptives and explains it all in her incredibly informative book, Beyond the Pill.

If you’re currently taking birth control or feeling the results of recently stopping, you’ll want to hear this interview as Dr. Brighten shares some fascinating insight into what is going on in your body. Dr. Brighten tears apart commonly accepted but little questioned notions about what birth control does throughout your body. She also breaks down just what can happen in your body when you stop taking the pill.

Were you aware of the many links between hormonal birth control and the many different aspects of your health? Have you recently stopped taking the pill and noticed a difference in your well-being? Tell us about it in the comments below!

In this episode:

• The seldom acknowledged link between birth control and your metabolism
• The consequences of doctors dismissing the symptoms of women
• How birth-control impacts your ability to build muscle mass
• Hormonal birth control’s role in causing inflammation
• Ways to get off birth control without experiencing too many harsh side-effects
• What seed-cycling is and how you can use it for a better hormonal balance
• How knowledge of your hormonal cycle can be used to help you work out better

Quotes:

“While it is your right to use birth control to control your symptoms, it is also your right to understand that there can be consequences related to that.” [4:03]

“While hormonal birth control was designed to impact the reproductive system alone, your body doesn’t work that way. Your hormones impact every system in your body.” [15:47]

“If your period comes and it differs from what you’ve been following, follow your body’s wisdom, don’t try to strongarm it….Whatever moon-cycle you are with has more to do with the purpose you are serving in this life and the work that you are currently engaged in.” [29:47]

“In this day and age, [the pill] gets passed out like candy, but with the research, we have now, nobody passes out candy like that anymore. So it’s passed out more than candy.” [38:46]

“I’m all for giving women access and the ability to control their reproductive health, but let’s also give them access to the ability to have insight and knowledge about their body to stay safe.” [40:06]

Links:

Find Dr. Jolene Brighten online

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Beyond the Pill by Dr. Jolene Brighten