4 Reasons for Fatigue after Stopping Birth Control
Birth control comes in many methods and hormone ratio types. Its purpose is to artificially control your hormones to release on a schedule every day of each month. The brain to ovary connection is separated, and the body learns to trust the birth control’s administration of hormones. Birth control makes the body have a false sense of pregnancy to prevent ovulation.
A common symptom is fatigue after stopping birth control. We often hear the term ‘adrenal fatigue’ but the clinical term is HPA axis dysfunction. HPA stands for hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal. This is the communication system between your brain (hypothalamus and pituitary) and adrenal glands to regulate the stress response and cortisol output.
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This communication can be affected by birth control. This is because birth control pills work by suppressing the communication between your HPO axis - hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis or the communication between your brain and ovaries so that you don’t ovulate and therefore can not get pregnant. Since both HPO and HPA come from the hypothalamus, many hormones are controlled by this region of the brain, and therefore birth control can affect these systems to cause fatigue. Here are 4 reasons for fatigue after stopping birth control.
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Why can I experience fatigue after stopping birth control?
Here are 4 reasons for fatigue after birth control:
1. Nutrient Deficiencies
Nutrient deficiencies are one of the reasons for fatigue after stopping birth control because certain nutrients are responsible for hormone balance and stress response. Birth control has been shown to deplete your body’s ability to store and absorb specifically B vitamins, vitamin C, zinc, selenium, and magnesium. Notice, that both vitamin B and vitamin C are water-soluble vitamins, meaning that they do not need a lipid or fat to bind to it to be absorbed and utilized. Typically, water-soluble vitamins are the ones to not worry about supplementing for this reason, but unfortunately, evidence shows that birth control can inhibit our processing of these vitamins and minerals.
These nutrients do more than just aid our bodies in general because they are actually hormone promoters. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant, reduces inflammation, plays a role in immunity, wound healing, collagen synthesis, and needed for hormone production. The B vitamins help to support hormone detoxification in the liver, hormone metabolism and support mood neurotransmitter processes.
Even after stopping birth control, there will be a transition phase where your body may not be fully absorbing nutrients. This is why it’s important that you must replete these nutrients to reduce fatigue after stopping birth control. Additionally, be mindful of these nutrients by eating a wide variety of foods and supplement if necessary.
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2. Estrogen in the pill is inflammatory
Studies have shown that estrogen can actually cause inflammation in the body. Inflammation occurs when your white blood cells sense an invader or an area of injury in the body, so they release chemicals to surge the area as well as increase blood flow there. Inflammation status can be determined by high sensitivity C reactive protein levels (CRP). This protein reflects the amount of inflammation in the body. A study showed that usage of estrogen contraception resulted in the increase in CRP in the body which means there was a high amount of inflammation.
In addition, inflammation causes cortisol release, a stress hormone, which over time can put stress on the adrenal glands, cortisol’s point of origin, which leads to feelings of fatigue. After stopping birth control, the body increases its stress response because your ovaries have not fully adapted to producing hormones independently. This will cause a high cortisol release and further exhausts the body.
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3. Pill raises a protein called cortisol-binding globulin
Another reason that you experience fatigue after stopping birth control is that birth control raises cortisol-binding globulin. Cortisol-binding globulin is a protein that regulates cortisol levels and can secrete more or less of it depending on the situation. In elevated levels, the CBG can hold a storage of cortisol that will release in high amounts during inflammation. Birth control has been shown to increase CBG to have this high-stress effect. As mentioned, the stress response can cause the fatigue after stopping birth control.
4. Low Sex Hormone Levels
Low sex hormone levels are another reason you feel fatigue after stopping birth control. While using the pill, estrogen and progesterone production are suppressed by the pill because an artificial form of them is already being administered. After stopping birth control, these levels may still be suppressed and can last up to several months causing irregular periods due to missed ovulation. These low levels of estrogen and progesterone can cause fatigue and low energy due to this. The low sex hormone levels cause an increased stress on the body which causes the fatigue after stopping birth control too.
Source: 30062044 , Adrenal Fatigue
TAKE AWAY MESSAGE:
There are several important ways to support the body when stopping birth control.
While we chatted through lots of different options, remember that every body is unique and it’s about determine what works best for your body.
Remember: simple shifts build to make a big impact over time!
Symptom-free cycles after birth control are possible for you.
-Krista
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