For some of the 62 percent of women who are currently using birth control, coming off contraception will be easy. But for others, it can pose a real challenge. Many women experience unwanted symptoms like acne, hair loss, and irregular periods that can last months or even years.
What is hormone birth control and how does it really work?
There are more than 10 different types of birth control, but according to former Parsley clinician Elizabeth Milbank, MD, MPH, the most common two are the hormonal IUD and the pill. The pill works by essentially “tricking your body into thinking you’re already pregnant,” says Dr. Milbank, who is board certified in both lifestyle and preventive medicine. More specifically, oral contraceptives contain hormones that “prevent the brain from telling the ovaries to ovulate, keep the endometrium very thin to prevent embryo implantation, and thicken the cervical mucus so sperm can’t pass through,” she explains.
In contrast, while hormonal IUDs can partially suppress ovulation their primary function is to thicken cervical mucus and block the sperm from getting to the egg. They do still contain hormones—but at much lower levels than the pill. For these reasons, “When we’re talking about negative symptoms of coming off birth control, we tend to be talking about the pill,” says Dr. Milbank.