Birth Control

[kreitman]

Hello all. I read the article that is on the web site about birth control already, but I still am uncertain about what to do. I am starting my first Whole30 on May 1 and I am trying to figure out if I should toss out the birth control pill I am using and use some other method of contraception. I want to see great results so I don't want something like a tiny daily pill screw up the 30 days for me. Any advice or personal anecdotes will be helpful! Thanks!

[LadyM]

I think this is a really personal choice with many implications. All of the hormonal systems are interrelated, so cleaning up your diet in a way that balances hormones will certainly be impacted by remaining on a synthetic hormone.

I've been off and on the pill, nuvaring, copper IUD over the years and am also hypothyroid (and on levoxyl permanently) as a result of head and neck radiation nearly 20 years ago. My hormones have been more out of whack than I've realized for years. I'm now working with a functional medicine practitioner and doing the whole30 to help balance things.

[megmac]

I did NOT go off the pill and had fantastic results during my second W30. And my less than stellar results in #1 were not related to the pill, they were related to my attitude (29 days until I can cheat...28 days until I can cheat...). One of my biggest goals was to regulate my hormones, which I did. For me personally, eating 3x daily with NO snacks and getting a full 8 hours every night did the trick.

No advice here...just letting you know that being on the pill did not ruin my experience.

[LoisH99]

I don't think you should go off the pill while doing your Whole30. I remember going off the pill years and years ago (I don't know how I got to be this old!) and I felt a little out of whack for the first cycle. It wasn't a big deal, but I felt different. So if you do that while doing the whole30, how will you know which is affecting how you feel??

[kreitman]

Thank you all for your input! I think I will stay on it for now and then whenever I do stop taking them permanently do another Whole 30 to help myself adjust. Thanks again!