Podcast EP 39
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[00:00:00] Get off birth control, baby dance, like no one's business, and poof, you're pregnant. Unfortunately, that's not the case for most women. Have you recently got off birth control and you're trying to see those two pink lines and it's just not working? Maybe your cycle hasn't come back. Maybe you're not ovulating, but maybe you're doing everything you're supposed to do and the pregnancy test is still negative.
In today's video, we're gonna dive into what coming off hormonal birth control does to your body, how to heal it and recover from it, and bring your cycle back online so you can see those two pink lines. Let's dive in.
Hi, I'm Sophie Byfield and when I decided I was ready to be a mama, I thought it would be so easy. Get off birth control. Baby dance, like no one's watching. And poof, I was pregnant. But like many of you, that wasn't my story. After months of negative tests, endless treatments, and more supplements than you can count, I realized that getting pregnant isn't about fixing one piece of your fertility puzzle. It's about bringing your whole body. Back into balance so it feels safe enough to conceive. And this is where we focus on what really matters. Healing your whole body so that you can see those two pink lines. Welcome to the Heal to Conceive podcast.
Hormonal birth control. Back in my day, the doctors put us on birth control. If our periods were too heavy, if there was something going on, we were in too much pain or had too much [00:01:00] cramps, all of it. But what we've learned is hormonal birth control is horrible for your system and your body, sis. We are led to believe that when we're on birth control, we are still getting a period and it's regulating your cycle.
But that is not the case. Being on hormonal birth control puts your reproductive system on pause. It literally stops you from ovulating, and then when you bleed, it's breakthrough bleeding, not a full period. I wish I knew this when I was on birth control, and I wish I knew this when I came off and was trying to concede.
I thought I was getting a period every month. That's how they marketed it, but it's not actually true. So when you stop taking it, it's not like you just turning on a light switch. Your body has to rebalance and reregulate [00:02:00] and heal from the disruption of the hormones. And here's the part that no one tells you.
Being on the birth control pill slows down the communication between your brain and your ovaries, and depending on how long you're on the pill, the patch, the needle, the shot, whatever it is, it can take time to reestablish that connection. I know some of you're gonna come for me in the comments and say, my friend got off birth control and got pregnant right away.
Yeah, it happens. It truly does, but that's not the norm. Most people have to wait for their body to reestablish the brain to ovary connection and allow it to heal the hormone imbalances that have been caused due to birth control. I had an IUD, and when I took my IUD out, I honestly thought it was gonna be super easy to get pregnant.
Everyone said, yes, your first period back, it's gonna, [00:03:00] it's gonna work right away. That wasn't my story, and I know there was other things going on with my body, but generally speaking, the research says it can take up to three months for your body to rebalance after coming off of hormonal birth control.
So if it's been longer than three months and your cycle isn't back, it is time to dig a little bit deeper into what's going on. I want you to ask yourself these questions. Has it been more than 90 days with no period at all? Are you tracking signs of ovulation? Are you actually ovulating? Did you have regular periods before birth control?
Are you noticing acne, hair changes, mood swings, and fatigue? So here's the hidden truth that they don't tell us. A lot of women when they come off hormonal birth control can experience something called post [00:04:00] pill, PCOS, and it's similar to PCOS in the spac that it's irregular cycles, acne in cyst. But it is not a long-term diagnosis of PCOS.
Some women will come off the pill, get their period back right away, start ovulating and poof they are pregnant. That's amazing for them. I'm so happy for them. And then there's some of us that come off the pill and nothing is happening. Our body is working behind the scenes. We don't see that, so it feels like we're broken or we're missing something, or I'm just not meant to be a mom, and that is not the case.
A lot of the times, our body is just rebalancing and recalibrating to find its equilibrium or homeostasis so that it can bring its hormones back into balance so you can get pregnant. What if I told you we could get your period back [00:05:00] on track and your ovulation with a little bit of nourishment and support and a lot less stress?
You see reestablishing the brain ovary connection can be done with a little bit of small tweaks to your diet, your lifestyle, and your stress management. So let's talk about what that support actually looks like. One, you need to track smarter. Tracking BBT LH and Cervical Mucus can tell you what is going on with your body under the surface.
Even if you're tracking from Breakthrough Bleed to Breakthrough bleed, you will still get so much information in in order to know your next move and healing and support to get your ovulation back online. Number two, you need more food, not less. Many women come off birth control and start lowering their caloric intake in order to [00:06:00] avoid Guinea weight, your skipping meals, keto, intermittent fasting, all of that can help to keep your body in shape.
But your hormones need fuel and a balance between carbs, protein, and fats. And undereating can block ovulation or stop it all together because your body doesn't feel like it's safe enough to conceive. Number three, you need to check your nutrients. Birth control can deplete key vitamins like zinc, B six, and magnesium.
If your body is running on empty, it can delay or impact your ovulation. And number four, you need to redefine stress. Stress isn't just about feeling anxiousness or feeling overwhelmed. Stress can look like poor sleep burnout, unstable blood sugar levels and over training ovulation can only happen when the body feels safe and when your body is in [00:07:00] fight, flight, or freeze, it slows down the reproductive hormones, therefore blocking your chances at conceiving.
Now, you may be doing all of this and your period still doesn't come back, or you're still not seeing ovulation. This may be when we go and seek more help from our doctor. Your body isn't failing you. It's sending you feedback. So if it's been three to six months, your period hasn't come back, you're still not ovulating, then it's time to dig into getting the right test done with your doctor.
And this is exactly what I teach you to do inside the Heel to Conceive system, where I have a whole section and lesson dedicated on questions to ask your doctor and test to run, to make sure we are building the healthiest environment possible and that everything is working optimally to conceive.
Whether you're struggling with ovulation, low progesterone, or just getting your body back into balance, post birth [00:08:00] control, we offer the support, the guidance that you need to get pregnant faster and with clarity and confidence. I was speaking in the tribe yesterday and I was like, this journey is hard af.
This journey is hard and there's so many different intricate things happening at the same time that can impact your ability to conceive and the health of your body. I get it. I was on it, and I want you to know you do not have to do this alone. For a lot of women, being on hormonal birth control was the best decision they could have made for their body at that time.
And sis never feel shame, guilt, upset for being on birth control. Think of this time as you come off of it as a time to learn your body, recalibrate your body, heal your body so that you can conceive. You've got this sis, I know you're going to bring your [00:09:00] baby home. And when you don't got this, I got you baby dust for all.
