Thread by @AlpacaAurelius

Birth control has been a disaster for women's health.

Usage is associated with:

autoimmune
depression
suicide
infertility
gut issues

All for what? Preventing pregnancy which can only occur 5 days out of the month...

Yes you read that right.

Most women are not even told that they can only get pregnant 5 days out of each month and this can be managed totally naturally

But instead, they're prescribed birth control like it's skittles. Most women are never even told about the risks of taking it

This is indicative of a problem with society at large...a distrust for the natural rhythms and intuition of our body and a disconnection from the cosmos around us.

Did you know that most women with a healthy cycle menstruate with the moon?

Birth control severs this connection.

How does birth control work and why does it cause so many issues?

Hormones are the key to understanding life.

And there is not one hormone birth control disrupts.

They are a symphony and when they are out of balance your whole health goes to crap.

Women's cycle is dominated by two main hormones: progesterone and estrogen. The pill disrupts the natural balance of both.

The cycle starts on the first day of the period when estrogen and progesterone fall, shedding the uterine lining.

This happens in days 1 through 10.

Around day 10 the brain releases FSH causing estrogen to spike and release the egg around day 14.

This is called the follicular phase, at the end of the which estrogen returns to baseline levels.

The second half of the menstrual cycle occurs after ovulation and is dominated by the hormone progesterone

So what happens with birth control?

Unlike a normal cycle, birth control delivers a large dose of synthetic estrogen and progesterone throughout the entire cycle.

This would be okay if estrogen was good or if their effects were isolated to the uterine lining, but that isn't the case.

And one of the main issues with this is it cuts the connection from your brain to ovaries.

ISSUE #1: CUTTING THE SIGNAL FROM BRAIN TO OVARIES

Artificially increasing these hormones, suppresses LH and FSH, the communication line from the brain to ovaries, suppressing endogenous production.

In some women this communication never returns.

This can lead to many long term side effects such as the period never returning, progesterone levels remaining low, PCOS, weight gain, thyroid issues, migraines and many more....

ISSUE #2: EXCESS ESTROGEN CAN BE CARCINOGENIC

Estrogen unopposed by progesterone, can be extremely damaging and its effects are not just exerted on the uterine lining

In fact, until the 1950s estrogen was known more as a shock & stress hormone implicated in miscarriage & cancer

The primary function of estrogen is growth & de-differentiation. It has a very specific function in the female to control estrus, but this is only 2-3 days out of the month

There's a reason why it's only meant to spike for 2-3 days

Estrogen acts as a mitochondrial toxin, shifting the cell away from oxidative metabolism and back towards fermentative, lactic acid metabolism.

This state helps de-differentiate the cell and cause it to expand and grow.

Growth is good for certain things, like repair and the growth in the uterine lining. But unchecked growth is cancer.

That is why IARC now labels birth control a class 1 carcinogen.

In this women's health institute study on the effects of estrogen plus progestin, it had to be halted because the incidence of breast cancer exceeded safety thresholds.

Estrogen is not something you want to be artificially elevating every single day.

ISSUE #3 ESTROGEN IS A STRESSOR

Because of estrogens role in trauma and repair, it also impacts the stress system.

This study shows that estrogen amplifies the stress response even in the absence of the traditional ACTH stress hormones.

This may help to explain why birth control is associated with depression and a 300% increase in suicides.

ISSUE #4: EXCESS ESTROGEN IS TOXIC TO THE LIVER

One of the liver's main functions is to detoxify and eliminate estrogen.

Excess amounts overburden the liver, lead to accumulation of estrogen and can cause benign liver tumors.

ISSUE #5: REDUCES PROGESTERONE

For females, progesterone is LIFE. And birth control robs you of this hormone.

Progesterone is necessary for fertility and a healthy pregnancy. It was given the name progesterone because of its "pro-gestational" effects.

But similar to testosterone in men, which is necessary for male fertility, progesterone isn't just helpful during pregnancy.

It is most protective, anti stress hormone in the entire body, with wide ranging systemic effects.

Studies show that it relieves anxiety, improves mood, lowers stress, improves skin health protects brain. It's almost like a natural anti depressant,

It can bind endotoxins, prevent recurrent miscarriages, oppose estrogen...

It's truly a remarkable hormone.

Yes, birth control has synthetic progesterone -- progestins -- but studies show that this has very different effects than natural progesterone and actually may be more related to male hormones like testosterone

All of this paints a very disturbing picture.

Birth control increases levels of the "shock hormone" estrogen and lowers levels of the most important protective hormone, progesterone.

ISSUE #6 DEPLETES MINERALS & VITAMINS

Birth control depletes many of hte most important vitamins and minerals like b6, magnesium and zinc.

B6 is critical for progesterone function and dopamine production.

Magnesium for over 400 enzymes.

Zinc for gut & immune health

ISSUE #7: DISRUPTS THYROID & METABOLISM

The inflammation, stress and nutrient deficiencies lower thyroid function in many women on birth control.

The thyroid is critical for all metabolic processes -- its one of the closest things that's synonymous with health...

Which is why low thyroid can lead to issues like brain fog, weight gain, depression, poor gut health, low energy...

Check your TSH, total / free t4 and t3, and PTH if you have these symptoms.

ISSUE #8 LOW LIBIDO

Long term low libido is a common complaint. Birth control raises SHBG, which binds testosterone, crucial for women's libido.

In some birth control users, levels of SHBG don't ever return to normal according to this study.

ISSUE #9 PICKING THE WRONG PARTNER

Pheromone's and your partners scent help you determine compatibility on many levels. The pill disrupts this.

According to this study: "Choosing a mate while on the pill can result in unstable and more violent unions."

Get off the pill.

Check out something natural like fertility awareness method instead (if this doesn't work, I will not father your child so do not blame me).

If you've been on it for a while, don't worry. Your body is remarkably resilient. In the next part I will describe some things I'd do to heal from birth control.