We Asked Women To Share Their Experiences About Coming Off The Pill
If you’re a woman who’s been taking the birth control pill and have been thinking of coming off it, it can be a hard decision to make.
The pill works differently for everybody: some people can transition off it with no worries, others may experience hormonal fluctuations, some women suffer from bad period pain returning, and others learn that the pill has been masking some bigger issues like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) or Endometriosis.
It can be hard to look past the overall convenience of the pill if you’re on it: whether it’s been an effective form of contraception, cleared up your skin, lessened period pain, or given you control over when to get your period, there are many benefits to being on it.
However, there are also the horror stories associated with being on the pill: women have reported their mental health suffering while being on certain types of pills, while other pills are associated with great physical health risks, such as blood clots.
We chatted to Dr. Izzy Smith, an endocrinology doctor, about what women should be aware of when it comes to making the decision to come off the pill.
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“There are a few things to consider,” Smith told Punkee. “We have hormone receptors through our entire bodies, including the parts of our brains that regulate emotions. The pill gives a steady dose of estrogen and progesterone, rather than the cyclical ups and downs that are associated with normal menstrual cycle. For some women, especially who suffer from PMS or the more severe form pre-menstrual dysthymic disorder (PMDD), this return of fluctuating hormones, especially the drop just before the period can result in low mood or feeling emotional. Other common symptoms as women go off the pill can be tender breasts, some spotting before normal menses returns and of course… potential to get pregnant!”
Smith also noted an increase in testosterone can result in acne and oily skin. “Women have testosterone too and it’s involved with muscle development, libido and likely some other functions. But it can also increase sebum production in the skin and result in acne and oily skin. This should improve within a couple of months and keeping up normal healthy skincare regimes such as cleansing and exfoliating is important too,” she said.
“Some women may have been prescribed the pill to help managed symptoms associated with PCOS, endometriosis, or iron deficiency. These conditions will likely still be there and if so, symptoms may return once off the pill. It’s important to talk to your doctor about this and focus on other measures to manage and monitor symptoms.”
With that in mind, we surveyed over 30 Aussie women and asked them about their experiences coming off birth control: from what side-effects they experienced, to what they wished they knew before taking or coming off birth control.
Please note responses have been edited for length and clarity and we couldn’t include every single response sent to us, but we thank each person who reached out to share their experiences.
The women who found out the pill had been masking health issues such as PCOS & endo:
“I have been taking some kind of hormonal contraception since I was 16. In the 11 years since I started taking it, I have been diagnosed with endometriosis and struggled to find an effective treatment for my symptoms (mainly heavy periods, incredible pain both during my period and at other times, bloating & IBS). After trying two Mirena IUDs (and in some instances taking the pill at the same time), I was in so much pain, starting to get severe headaches, feeling miserable and just wanted to give my body a break to see what I felt like without the pill.
“After coming off the pill, I felt great. I felt my mood stabilise, my skin improved, I was less bloated and puffy and my hair stopped being greasy. However, I did end up with more pain from my endometriosis and the heaviest periods I have ever experienced. I did end up back on the pill after three months at the advice/request of my doctor. The endometriosis has caused extreme pain and also damage to my insides, at one point pulling my bowel in the wrong direction, so I definitely understand needing to try and minimise the damage.
“My doctor has now put me on Visanne — not marketed as an oral contraceptive pill but as a ‘treatment’ for endometriosis (however it is very similar to the pill). So far it doesn’t seem to be causing as many horrible side effects as the other pills, although I’ve only been on it for about a month.”
“I found out I have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) thanks to my period not returning at all so far after stopping. I also have cystic acne for the first time in my life, which is another symptom of PCOS that was masked by the pill. I spoke with both my GP and my psychologist about my decision to stop the pill, and used a mood tracking app for a few weeks before and a few months after to make sure my mood didn’t significantly change (which it didn’t).
“I also used a period tracking app initially because I wanted to establish what my normal cycle was with a goal of being contraceptive-free for at least six months, but it ended up being more useful when I had to speak with doctors about my lack of period and other symptoms. I’m now working through my PCOS diagnosis with my GP and a range of specialists. There’s the potential that going back on the pill may be the best way to manage my PCOS, but I’m wanting to explore other options before going back.”
“I suffered a severe blood clot which I passed during a menstrual cycle when I was 17. I spent about an hour curled up on a bathroom floor screaming while it came out. My doctor said that due to suffering from endometriosis and migraines I’m more susceptible to clotting and should never have been prescribed the pill in the first place.
“After coming off the pill, my period became so heavy I was going through whole boxes of super tampons in a single day, and it was lasting between eight to ten weeks. Before going on the pill, my cycle was pretty regular. I was planning just to use condoms for contraception and let my body have a break, but was forced to find another option because of my cycle and switched to the Implanon for a few years before inserting an IUD to help stem endometriosis symptoms.
“The pill made the migraines I suffer almost unbearable. Since switching to the Implanon, and later the IUD, my quality of life increased significantly.”
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The women who have gone off the pill and stayed off:
“I went on the pill for contraception reasons at 17 – I was on Yasmin for just over a year. It gave me pretty bad mood swings so when my relationship ended I stopped taking it and went to Family Planning to ask for advice on a better pill I could take for me, if and when I needed it for contraception again. I had to fill out a detailed medical history form and ticked yes to having eye/vision issues. The doctor questioned this and I explained I had experienced ophthalmic migraines and she basically straight away said that was already an indicator of being at increased risk of having a stroke and any sort of pill/contraception with estrogen was a big no-no. My only other options were therefore progestin-only pill (the mini pill) or other contraception forms like the Mirena, rod in arm etc.
“I have never been back on the pill. It’s been 10 years, and I will never go back on it again. I had no real side effects coming off the pill. I liked the idea of my body just doing its natural thing and my menstrual cycle not being controlled synthetically.”
“I decided to come off the pill once I realised how much my personality had disintegrated and how grumpy I’d begun to feel. When coming off the pill, I felt gloomier than I had been for a few weeks and for about 4-5 months my acne flared. I went on a low-grade antibiotic to help with the acne and my skin took about three months to properly calm down.
There were so many benefits to stopping the pill! My mood improved, my skin became better than when I was on the pill (which wasn’t great then either, to be honest) and I felt that I regained my personality and confidence again, something which had slowly eroded when I was using hormonal birth control.
“All up, I probably had three weeks of more ‘intense’ side effects. I felt I was truly back to being me personality-wise about four or five months post coming off the pill.”
“I wish I’d known more about other hormonal birth control options as the pill was pretty much the only option talked about when I went on it at 18 – then no GP ever suggested anything different in all the years I was going back for scripts. I started to wonder what life/my body/my emotions would be like without it. Also, I had read a few things about the effect it has on libido and after 10 years in a relationship, I was wondering how much my sex drive was a function of those hormones vs. the natural settling of a long term relationship.
“[When I went off the pill] PMS definitely popped up – previously I’d say I barely experienced it but suddenly I was moody, short-tempered etc. before my period. These symptoms probably lasted 6-9 months. I’d had pretty good skin since going on the pill and once I went off it had lines of pimples along my chin and in the crease of my neck pretty constantly. Cramps were more significant as were the symptoms of what I now know was endo. But there was also definitely the desired libido boost!
“After 18 months pretty happily off the pill, the inevitable drunken accident happened – I took emergency contraception the next day then ended up with an ectopic pregnancy and losing a fallopian tube. The gynaecologist who operated on me also found stage IV endometriosis, and recommended an IUD instead of going back on the pill.”
“I came off the pill because I went on it originally to regulate my period and make my skin better, but then I decided I didn’t want to keep paying for it when I don’t really need it.
My skin got really bad after coming off the pill, I gained weight in my stomach, and it took about four years until my period came back. I feel like I tried everything. Doctors just told me to go back on the pill but that felt counter-intuitive.
“My naturopath said I was just stressed and needed to let my body relax, so on her recommendation, I stopped eating dairy, gluten, coffee, and alcohol. I also took supplements from her and got acupuncture and Chinese herbs from a TCM doctor. My skin never really got better, I’m still dealing with hormonal acne at age 29 which makes me FURIOUS! My period randomly just came back one day four years later and now it’s completely regular and normal.
“I’m scared if I go back on it it’ll be impossible to come off – if I knew that it would have been such a fucking PROCESS to get my body back to ‘normal’ then I don’t know if I would have just stopped taking it without thinking it through. But something makes me feel like my body is ‘healthier’ now that it can regulate hormones on its own without the pill.”
“I came off the pill as I had gained a lot of weight over a period of years and my skin was also no longer better despite going on it for that reason years earlier. I had zero side effects of the negative kind coming off the pill. I did notice my libido come swinging back almost immediately! In addition, I saved money and felt ‘lighter’ in mind and body — I didn’t crave heavy carbs and cheese anymore. This clarity allowed me to overhaul my diet and lose almost 15kg.
“I haven’t gone back on the pill, although I have tossed it up since getting into a relationship. Everyone I know is on the pill or hormonal BC. Now I am an advocate for condoms – very effective with perfect use and when tracking your cycle.”
“I came off the pill when all of my friends had started using the Mirena. I was one of the last to transition and I felt comfortable after seeing their results that it was a more effective form of contraception.
Coming off the pill, my boobs shrunk, my skin got really bad hormonal breakouts and I don’t know how else to describe this but I felt feelings harder? When I was sad I was more genuinely sad, when I was happy I was more genuinely happy. It was almost like the pill had stabilised me to this range of emotions and then coming off it, I had a bigger range on either side to tap into.
“I went contraceptive free for six months before I transitioned to the Mirena. So far all results are positive, I wish I knew more before I started taking the pill. When I was 17 and first started taking it you just went to your doctor, they wrote you a script and sent you on your way. I would have come off years ago if I knew how good it could be!”
“At the age of 21, I decided to stop taking the pill after being on it for six consecutive years and my acne had cleared up. I’d had a lot of problems finding the ‘right pill’ that didn’t make me irritable or my skin inflamed when I was in my teens, and I felt like it might be time to come off and be more ‘natural’, so to speak. The second time I came off the pill was this year, at 29. The week before my period, I was experiencing really intense irrational anger towards anything and anyone. I’d accidentally forgot to take my pill one month and realised that the source of the anger was the pill, so I called it quits.
“The first time I came off the pill there was a lot of changes. Going on hormonal medication at 14 had really affected my growth in ways I hadn’t realised. I put on weight: that could also be easily attributed to a change in lifestyle, but it was more than that. My face changed shape, my body changed shape too. I went from being very pre-teen-esque to feeling like I was hitting puberty all over again.
“The second time I was fine. I think in the end I trialled 3-4 different pills (some prescribed by my physician and others prescribed by my dermatologist) to treat my acne. I’d safely say I was having mood swings for about seven years. With the second bout of the pill I honestly noticed it more clearly. It was the week before my period, I felt like my boobs got absolutely enormous, and I was in a complete rage all of the time. This would often last until my period had finished, and then things were back to normal. It was so exhausting, I hated it.
“I did definitely feel more ‘me’ coming off the pill. I can’t describe it better than that. I’m not sure I’d go back on it again, to be honest. I do think it’s important to know that it isn’t the only option, and you can keep trying to find other variations and options.”
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The women who have come off the pill, then gone back on:
“I was on Levlen for about two years before I decided to come off it. At the time I was experiencing severe mood swings and suicidal thoughts. After seeking psychological help for both of these things, I realised something was out of balance in my hormones and that I hadn’t felt ‘myself’ in a while.
“Coming off Levlen, I didn’t experience any side effects, besides my period being suddenly heavy and painful again. It also took a while for my period to become regular again, so that was a challenge in itself. I did it alone, but if I could go back in time I would have consulted a doctor before choosing to go cold turkey.
I eventually decided to go back on [a different pill, Yaz] about a year later after realising I couldn’t cope with the severe period pain I was experiencing. I consulted a doctor who told me I could try as many birth control options and brands that I needed in order to find the correct fit for me. Nobody had ever told me that. It changed my life.
“I came off the pill because I was concerned about the ‘flattening’ effect it was having on my mood/emotions/sex drive over time. My period got heavier for a bit (compared to the lighter ones when on the pill) and I noticed my moods change, like it was easier to be both sad and happy, if that makes sense? Less flat, more ups and downs.
“Once my ‘natural’ periods came back it came with a change in the intensity of PMS symptoms/mood etc. which lasted until I went back on hormonal BC about 6-8 months after stopping the pill. I didn’t notice any really significant changes to mood or skin or anything. I decided to try the Implanon instead, so I got one put in in December 2017. It expired in December 2020 so I got it removed and am now back on the pill because I didn’t want to commit to another three-year implant situation. TBH, I noticed way more effects of getting the implant than going on or off the pill.”
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Please note everyone’s experience when it comes to birth control is different and it’s important to discuss your health and contraceptive concerns with your doctor if you are thinking of coming off birth control.