Rebalance Your Cycle After Birth Control: A TCM and Ayurvedic Perspective

The birth control pill has been used over the years for many different conditions beyond just birth control. Women are often prescribed hormonal contraceptives for painful periods, acne, irregular periods, amenorrhea, PMS symptoms, and so on. What many don’t realize is that taking the birth control pill may alleviate the symptoms temporarily, but those symptoms often return, and at times are more amplified after women get off it. 

Hormonal contraceptives contain estrogen and progestin while working to suppress a woman’s natural ovulatory cycle. This causes what appears to be a menstrual bleed, but it’s really a withdrawal bleed, which isn’t what naturally happens when there’s a full ovulatory menstrual cycle, and the uterus naturally sheds when progesterone levels decrease when an egg is not fertilized. 

Since being on hormonal contraceptives suppresses a woman’s natural hormonal cycle, prolonged use can, over time, disrupt the body’s natural hormonal rhythm, which can, at times, cause imbalances after coming off of monthly use. 

Just like nature has cycles and seasons, our bodies too move through these pulses and rhythms that ebb and flow. Women’s cycle often synchronizes with the phases of the moon, and those phases are very interconnected to how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) views the Yin and Yang of a woman’s cycle.

Both Ayurveda and TCM approach the body through the lens of nature’s elements and view healing as something that the body naturally knows how to do when it’s given the right environment (nature’s harmony) to do so. TCM describes balance and harmony through the symbol of Yin and Yang. The Yin and Yang can be seen reflected in all parts of nature. Yin symbolizes the moon, coolness, moisture, inert and stable feminine energy, while Yang symbolizes the sun, heat, dryness, active and moving male energy. 

A woman’s cycle, as well as her hormones, can be categorized through the lens of Yin and Yang. The follicular phase, which is estrogen-dominant, can be seen as a very Yin phase, with estrogen being more dominant (and bringing with it more fluid), building up to ovulation (which can be compared to the full moon increasing the natural water tide as the body increases cervical mucus). The basal body temperature during the Yin phase can be measured as normally cooler (around 97’s), while after ovulation, the body moves into a more Yang phase, in which progesterone (considered more Yang) rises along with the basal body temperature to around 98’s.

As one can see, there is a rhythm that works much like a symphony in a woman’s menstrual cycle, which, when disrupted, can cause the whole to come off track. This is why the birth control pill does not just impact the menstrual cycle, but also emotions, vitamin deficiency, digestion, and even the microbiome.

1. Replenish Deficiencies:

There are many ways that lifestyle practices can encourage hormonal balance after coming off the birth control pill. As mentioned earlier, one of the things that can happen is that women can have nutrient deficiencies and an imbalance of gut microbiome from the birth control pill. Some of those deficiencies are magnesium, zinc, selenium, Vitamin E, C, D, and B vitamins. This makes it extra vital to eat a nutrient-rich, whole foods diet along with taking supplements to support these deficiencies. Osh Fertility Support is a great choice to encourage the body to regulate.

2. Support Gut Health:

As mentioned earlier, the microbiome of not only the body but also the vagina can get disrupted, often causing women to get repeated yeast infections while on the pill. It’s important to address this by taking a good-quality probiotic. I suggest using a spore-based probiotic, which is safe in cases of bacterial overgrowth and doesn’t become unstable through the digestive process. One can also consider using vaginal suppositories to restore the vaginal and uterine microbiome. Always speak to a qualified practitioner before starting any new supplement or lifestyle regimen.

3. Align with Nature:

There is a correlation between circadian rhythm dysfunction and irregular cycles. Women’s bodies respond to light cues from nature, which explains why, in many cases, women who have overnight shift work can experience higher rates of menstrual irregularities. This supports the importance of having a daily practice of early morning sun exposure as well as grounding one’s feet on the earth (which also supports the circadian rhythm and calms the nervous system). I even suggest that my patients gaze at the moon at night and also dim artificial lights in the evening to support nature’s natural lighting, which your brain entrains your internal clock with.

4. Try acupuncture:

Acupuncture works very effectively to regulate the body’s nervous system and bring the body back into its natural harmony. Not only does it help the body relax and sleep more deeply (which impacts hormonal balance and the body’s restoration tremendously!), but it can also create overall qi (life force vitality) movement so that healing and regulation can happen more easily while also supporting digestive balance. Acupuncture can also increase blood flow to the uterus and ovaries, stimulating a faster response to the regulation of the menstrual cycle. 

5. Conscious Movement:

What I mean by conscious movement is walking in nature, doing exercises such as yoga, which oftentimes brings your attention to the breath in the present moment, or practices such as qi gong. Those types of movements, by nature, get us in tune with our bodies through interoception (body sensation awareness). Mindful movements have been shown to speed wound healing and calm the mind. When the body feels calm and harmonious, healing and balance can be restored more easily, and therefore, this can impact the body’s overall health, which is reflected in the menstrual cycle. 

Even if your cycle after birth control may at times get disrupted, the great news is that our bodies are extremely resilient. It's important to note that healing is a "whole body event," and that includes our state of mind since our brains are connected to our bodies! Knowing that we can always tune in with nature and that our bodies are designed to seek balance is a very empowering truth!