Menopause & perimenopause
If I’m on birth control pills, will I go through menopause?
Yes. Your body will still transition through menopause while you are on the Pill, though you may not fully realize it. Similar to HRT, birth control pills deliver synthetic estrogens and/or progestins to your body.
Prior to menopause, your body makes its own estrogens and progesterone and releases an egg approximately once per month. Once menopause occurs, your body slows down its production of estrogen and progesterone and does not release fertilizable eggs. Yet, if you are on the Pill, you will still get what appear to be regular “periods” (without releasing an egg), and you may experience few outward symptoms because the synthetic hormones from the Pill are still being delivered to your system. If your body has transitioned through menopause and you decide to stop taking the Pill, you will not start ovulating again.
It is important to keep in mind that birth control pills contain significantly higher doses of synthetic hormones than most traditional HRT formulations do. This means that post-menopausal women are potentially at even greater risk while on birth control pills than on HRT.
At Women to Women, we feel that less is more when it comes to synthetic hormones. Taking your individual health needs and history into account, we encourage women in their late 40’s who have been on the Pill a long time to consider transitioning off of it in favor of more natural birth control or symptom relief. At minimum, women over the age of 50 should consider switching to more natural bioidentical HRT rather than staying on the Pill.
Going off the Pill can be difficult, especially for those who have been using oral contraception for 10–20 years. But if you build a core foundation for your body through proper nutrition, exercise and emotional wellbeing, you will find this transition very worthwhile. This way, you will know when your body has become menopausal and no longer needs birth control.
For more information read our full article on birth control pills and perimenopause.
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Our Personal Program is a great place to start
The Personal Program promotes natural hormonal balance with nutritional supplements, our exclusive endocrine support formula, dietary and lifestyle guidance, and optional phone consultations with our Nurse–Educators. It is a convenient, at-home version of what we recommend to all our patients at the clinic.
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Original Publication Date: 02/23/2007
Last Modified: 08/17/2009
Principal Author: Marcy Holmes, NP, Certified Menopause Clinician