Birth Control & Hormones questions

[mezzoforte3]

Can using birth control - specifically an IUD with slow hormone release - affect the body's hormone imbalances written about in It Starts With Food? I have suspected that the IUD has affected my health for a couple of years, by increasing inflamation and allergy sensitivity. However, all of my doctors have waived off these questions like the IUD  and my health issues could never be related. But then, I read the book, and I started thinking - if I'm going to do Whole30 for real, should I get rid of the added hormones in my body?

Thank you for any insight you can offer.

[ShannonM816]

I'm definitely not an expert on this, I'd say you should talk with a doctor about your concerns, but if they aren't listening, I'm not sure what to tell you about that.

Doing a Whole30, even without changing your birth control, could provide some relief from the issues you're experiencing, so if you currently need to use birth control and switching types isn't an option right now, go ahead and do a Whole30 and see what happens. If you currently don't need to be on birth control, or are in a position to change types, for instance to a non-hormonal IUD, then it may make sense to talk to your doctor about removing or changing it, but that is a major decision with potentially really big consequences so it's not something to take lightly.