Do You Need to Detox From the Birth Control Pill?
The short answer: NO!!
I have seen a bunch of targeted ads on my Instagram lately for “birth control cleanses” or “birth control detoxes” and it makes me so frustrated - this is predatory marketing and completely unnecessary. Your body has it’s own detoxification system, and while there are absolutely behaviors that can support this system, you do NOT need to specifically detox in order to get the pill “out of your system.”
In reality, the synthetic hormones in your system from the pill will pass on their own, often fairly quickly. Many people have unwanted and unsettling symptoms after going off of the pill, but that doesn’t mean you have lingering synthetic hormones in your system that are wreaking havoc.
If someone is telling you that you need to buy their birth control detox to “prevent” to “eliminate” post-pill symptoms, that’s a red flag.
So if I don’t need to detox, what do I do about these post-pill symptoms?
Can some of the nutrients in these products be beneficial? Absolutely, but not for everyone, and not because it’s “cleansing your system.” Issues you might have after coming off of the pill (acne, missed/late periods, bad PMS, hair loss, etc) are not because you haven’t “detoxed enough.” They’re often because underlying hormonal issues that were masked by the pill resurface as your body adjusts to making its own hormones again. Addressing these symptoms takes time, and it’s not something that one random detox or cleanse can address on a deep level. For example, if you’ve come off of the pill and are struggling with cystic acne, it’s not because you need a detox from the pill, it’s much more complex than that (I actually have a whole blog post about why post-pill acne happens).
If you are struggling after coming off of the pill, I recommend first understanding and accepting that it will take your body time to adjust after this change (sometimes months, sometimes even a year), and then seeking personalized help from a provider you trust if you’re really struggling. Often there are foundational issues, like digestion or blood sugar balance, that can be improved upon to support your hormonal health. Sometimes it’s more complex than that.
I’m on it! But I still feel like I want to “detox”
I totally get this inclination, and it comes from a very understandable place. You’ve just spent years, sometimes decades, on a medication and you want to feel like you’re helping your body “flush it out.” In reality, supporting your body's innate ability to detoxify is fairly easy and intuitive, and also doesn’t require spending money on pricey products or cleanses. The way I help clients do this is by focusing on building a nutrient dense diet that fits their lifestyle, and making sure we’re supporting their pathways of elimination, which are:
Sweat
I am not recommending that you go out and do an intense sauna or sweat lodge every day or anything close to that. Just move your body, ideally daily, in a way that makes you break a sweat. A sauna might feel nice as we enter winter, but is by no means necessary :)
Urine
Your kidneys are a huge part of your body’s detoxification system, and one of the best ways to support this system is by drinking plenty of water. Ideally, half of your body weight in ounces of water each day. For example, if you weight 200 lbs, you would aim for 100 ounces of water daily.
Bowel movements
Focusing on improving digestion and regular elimination is incredibly supportive of your body’s detoxification system. This will look different for everyone, but I do recommend checking out my blog post on improving digestion for hormone health.
In my opinion, anything much beyond these gentle behaviors should be personalized. If supplements are a helpful tool for you, let that advice come from a trusted provider. Best case scenario, you buy pricey detox supplements and it’s a waste of money, worst case scenario it’s potentially dangerous.
Interested in working together? Read more about my approach or book a free discovery call!
