Hormonal birth control can negatively affect metabolic health and contribute to weight gain. Some types are more likely to do so than others.
birth control
A survey of the benefits and side effects of hormonal birth control including natural alternatives for contraception and the treatment of period problems.
Do Women Need Periods?
With the 2019 news that women don’t need pill bleeds came the assurance that “women don’t need periods.” But is that accurate?
It’s true that women don’t need monthly pill withdrawal bleeds because they’re not periods, but women do need (or at least benefit from) monthly natural menstrual cycles because that’s how women make the hormones estradiol and progesterone.
The Secret Powers of Ovulation (It’s Not Just to Make a Baby)
The ovarian hormones estradiol and progesterone are beneficial for general health. That means natural ovulatory menstrual cycles are beneficial because ovulation is how women make those hormones.
How Birth Control Affects Hormones
Almost all types of hormonal birth control switch off ovarian function and, therefore, switch off the ovarian hormones estradiol, testosterone, and progesterone. Here’s a bit more about each method.