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Since the introduction of oral contraceptives in the early 1960s, the use of The Pill, as it is generally known, has soared to approximately 7 in 10 women of childbearing age. Among young women ages 18-24, oral contraceptives use is especially high, reaching two-thirds in 2008. It seems most women have no knowledge of natural birth control options whatsoever!
The widespread use of The Pill is a troubling issue because oral contraceptives devastate beneficial bacterial flora in the gut leaving it vulnerable to colonization and dominance from pathogenic strains such as Candida albicans, Streptococci, and Staphylococci among others.
By the time a woman who has used birth control pills is ready to have children, a severe case of intractable gut dysbiosis has more than likely taken hold.
Most people think that only the use of drugs such as antibiotics causes gut imbalances, but this is simply not true.
According, to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD, many other drugs such as the Pill also cause severe gut dysbiosis. What’s worse, a drug-induced gut imbalance is especially resistant to treatment either with probiotics or diet change.
What does this mean for your future child’s health? A lot, as it turns out!
The Pill and Nutritional Deficiencies
First of all, gut imbalance brought on through the use of The Pill negatively impacts the ability to digest food and absorb nutrients. As a result, even if a woman eats spectacularly well during pregnancy, she can experience nutritional deficiencies. If she has been taking oral contraceptives for a long period of time, it is highly likely that she and her baby are not reaping the full benefits of the healthy food she is eating. The lack of beneficial flora in her gut prevents this from occurring.
In addition, beneficial bacteria actively synthesize nutrients. These include vitamin K1, pantothenic acid, folate (NOT synthetic folic acid), thiamin (B1), cyanocobalamin (B12), amino acids and others. In an imbalanced gut, a woman is missing out on the “natural supplementation” that these good strains provide to her and her growing baby.
Not well known is the fact that using the Pill depletes zinc in the body. Zinc is called “the intelligence mineral” as it is intimately involved in mental development.
As a result, it is very important for women who have been using the Pill for any length of time to wait at least 6 months before becoming pregnant to ensure that zinc levels return to normal. Low zinc is associated with lowered IQ and birth defects. If you are concerned that your levels might be low, try this easy at-home zinc deficiency test to give you peace of mind.
It really is quite disturbing to fully realize the very real potential that the use of The Pill has to trigger nutritional deficiencies!
Pathogenic Gut Flora from Birth Control Pills Produce a Myriad of Toxins
Pathogenic, opportunistic flora that takes hold in the gut when The Pill is used constantly produce toxic substances. They are the by-products of their metabolism. These toxins leak into the woman’s bloodstream and guess what, they have the potential to cross the placenta! Therefore, gut dysbiosis exposes the fetus to toxins even if the woman never eats anything but organic foods and lives in an environment with no pollutants whatsoever.
Indeed, an imbalanced gut has the potential to expose a woman and her baby to just as many or even more toxins than her environment through self-poisoning!
Gut Dysbiosis Triggered by The Pill and Anemia Go Hand in Hand
Most people with abnormal gut flora also suffer from various stages of anemia. This is because some of the most common pathogenic strains of bacteria that take hold in an imbalanced gut are those that consume iron: Actinomyces spp., Mycobacterium spp., pathogenic strains of E.Coli, Corynebacterium spp. and others.
Anemia during pregnancy is especially dangerous. Not only can it deprive the fetus of oxygen (iron helps build red blood cells and red blood cells carry oxygen), but it is linked to low birth weight and pre-term birth and the many long term health and associated developmental problems.
Can iron supplements during pregnancy combat this problem?
In a word, no! How many women do you know who consistently battle low iron during pregnancy despite consuming iron supplements and eating iron-rich foods? I personally know many such cases.
The reason is that the more iron a patient with gut dysbiosis consumes in either food or supplement form, the stronger these pathogenic, iron loving strains become! The extra iron “feeds” them, so to speak, much the same as sugar feeds Candida albicans. The cure for gut dysbiotic anemia is to heal and seal the gut, not take iron supplements!
A Baby “Inherits” Gut Dysbiosis from Mom
A human baby is born with a sterile gut. This means that there is no bacterial activity in a fetus’ digestive system prior to birth. The vast majority of gut flora that a child eventually develops is inherited from Mom. This occurs via the baby swallowing microbes both good and bad during vaginal birth. If Mom has a gut imbalance, it will be the same situation in her vagina. Hence, her children’s intestines will be seeded with the same microbes during delivery. Babies born via Cesarean section are at risk for even more unbalanced gut flora.
Children with imbalanced gut flora are particularly predisposed to autoimmune disorders in the form of allergies, asthma, and eczema. In more severe cases of gut dysbiosis, learning disabilities manifest such as ADHD, ADD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and others. Of course, there is sometimes an environmental “trigger” which instigates these disorders. But, it is crucial to keep in mind that gut dysbiosis is the primary underlying cause.
Think Twice Before Taking Birth Control Pills
When considering whether or not to take oral contraceptives, women rarely if ever consider the long term implications to themselves let alone their children. This is no surprise given that doctors rarely if ever mention this sort of thing when prescribing antibiotics let alone The Pill to their patients!
Therefore, it is vital that women be fully informed of the potentially devastating consequences to their health and that of their children from birth control pills. Even their grandchildren may be affected according to preliminary research. This full disclosure is critical and the most ethical course of action for prescribing physicians.
Sources
March of Dimes, pregnancy complications
Mineral Primer
Gut and Psychology Syndrome, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD
More Information
170 Scientific Studies Confirm the Dangers of Soy
Why Even Organic Soy Formula is so Dangerous for Babies
The Dangers of Estrogenic Foods, Herbs, and Drugs
Sarah,
I know this is off subject, but I am in need of some advice. Where I live I have no access to raw milk. I’m in WV, and we can’t even legally buy it for pets. I have asked around and there is only one farm that raises pastured cows, and they will not sell raw milk illegally. I have a friend who drinks raw milk from cows that are fed soy. Also, no grocery stores carry organic milk that is not UHT. So, my question is this, should I drink ultra-pasteurized whole organic milk… regular pasteurized whole milk….or avoid dairy all together? (Although, my husband refuses to go without milk). I’m very frustrated, as I can’t even find half and half or cream that isn’t UHT. I’m trying (not very successfully) to follow the WAPF guidelines for pre-conception. Please help!!
Hi Erin, I know this would be expensive but you can ship it in. Years ago before there were any local raw dairy in my area, I shipped in frozen raw dairy from PA about every 2-3 months. You can find sources for farms that mail order in the WAPF shopping guide ($1 plus shipping) westonaprice.org
Hi Sarah,
Were you able to mail order raw milk and cream or butter?
Oh, and DON”T drink the ultrapasteurized organic milk. It is BETTER to go without in that case.
Good post, Sarah.
It is amazing how easily gut health can be compromised and how important a healthy gut is.
Thanks for sharing this wisdom.
Ciao,
Pavil
This is eye-opening. I’ve had constant candida problems for quite some time now. Recently I’ve been suffering from chronic sinus infections and wonder if this could be contributing to the problem. I was also diagnosed with painful bladder syndrome however the symptoms of that cleared up when I started eating better and doing nutritional cellular cleanses. The candida is still hanging around the the sinus infections are no longer responding to antibiotics. I wonder if I should talk to my gyn about this… or would she even know?
Hi Kale, for the most part, doctors have no idea how imbalanced gut flora can contribute to chronic conditions such as what you describe. The only tools in the toolbelt for the typical doc are drugs and surgery. You have to find a holistic DO or ND to get some out of the conventional box solutions. There are some holistic MDs, but they are few and far between.
Do you have mercury fillings? The candida LOVES to hang out in the jaw/sinuses when you have mercury fillings- and it may actually be helping you to do so…
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for a great post. I have only just had my Mirena removed hoping it would help me on the path to healing. I have been battling full body excema, terrible allergies, constant flatulence and bloating, constipation and irregular bowel movements and brain fog and mood swings. Unfortunately I was on the pill for year prior to conceiving my first child and still taking it before i knew I was pregnant with her. My second child I had been off it for about a year before conception, but by then I already had terrible allergies and excema and when he was born I had so little breastmilk I could not breastfeed him long. Unfortunately I used formula, although luckily not soy based.
My children both get sore bloated tummies and have a lot of wind. My daughter had a post nasal drip and symptoms of allergies starting to appear. Both are allergic to penicillin – something my naturopath informs me is a sign of gut dysbiosis. Luckily she directed us to SCD which we had been on for the past couple of months. In that time the only excema I have remaining is on my hands, I have no allergies, the kids haven’t passed wind once and they have no sore tummies or post nasal drip. Lately we have been struggling and getting pressure from the in laws so I introduced one bowl of soaked oats and one slice of sourdough for them per day, and we went out for dinner once and ate wedges. Since then They have passed wind non stop and my daughter has had a debilitating sore tummy. I got really bloated after having a small amount of porridge. My gut instincts say to persevere with a little porridge every second day or so though. We are also not fermenting our yoghurt for 24 hours anymore and added kefir. We’re going to keep going like this as their tummies see to be settling down now even with a little porridge. I’ll monitor it though, but I can’t force this on my family and my husband is not completely convinced about it all. My in-laws are no longer talking to us and the pressure was getting a little too much.
Hey Mel,
Stay strong, you are on the right path. You are doing the right thing for your family and you have support coming to you from across the web. I know it’s hard when you don’t have support, but you are doing the right thing. If you would have come to see me, I would have probably gone right to GAPS/SCD as well, so hang in there!
Hi Sarah,
How do I know if my gut is healthy or not?
Thanks,
Erica
The easiest way to tell is to observe your bathroom habits. If you are neither constipated nor loose and you go to the bathroom every day 1-2X with no strain or effort, the stool is light brown (walnut colored) with no pieces of undigested food in it and there is quite a lot of it (6 inch long stool empties the rectum for example and is a normal sized stool – most people go way too little). You have no reflux, bloating, heartburn, flatulence is a good sign as well.
Thank you for this reply. I was wondering this as well.
Great post! I was on the pill for two years myself when I just got married and had no clue what it was doing to me. It really wreaked havoc with my health, I would never take one again! I am anemic and do have digestion problems… I always lacked energy, I was a bit depressed for no good reason, I had sharp chest pains. When I quit taking it, it took a little while to sort of be back to normal.
A lot of people have commented on Natural Family Planning and “Taking Charge of Your Fertility.” I have always been interested but was overwhelmed by charting because I have three small children. A year ago I bought the LADY COMP. I love it. I can’t say enough good things about it. It takes your temperature for you and saves all the information, then it gives you green and red days. It is a little pricey (just under $500), but for around $30/month for the pill I figured I only had to use it for 16 months before I broke even. Best money ever spent!
Charting is easy-peasy. It takes me about 3-4 min. to chart all signs. 1 min to take temp every morning, 1 min to check cervix, and maybe 1-2 min to check cervical fluid a few times a day when i go to toilet. It sound overwhelming when you read about it but is really really easy and quick. And gives you so much info about your reproductive health. For me it is really empowering.
“Taking Charge of Your Fertility, The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health” by Toni Weschler, MPH is THE BEST BOOK I have found on this topic. It was recommended by Dr. Kathleen Alan a super naturopathic doctor, midwife and lecturer. This book is non religious, and very practical application. It has been my handbook for learning about my body through marriage and our first two children.
(my personal belief is that when it comes to God’s gift of life, is is not ours to “control”)
Here here! TCOYF is the BEST!!!
I was on OC’s and then the Patch before coming off of them to get pregnant with my first child. I was soooo sick those 4 years I was on BC! I was always tired, my muscles ached, I gained weight, I couldn’t concentrate. It wasn’t until after my son was born and I really started researching healthier living thanks to being introduced to Nourishing Traditions that I realized that my body was so depleted of vital nutrients from being on BC! It didn’t help that I was also on the popular “low fat” diet that included skim milk and low fat/fat free processed foods and then while pregnant, I ate whatever I wanted to. I am now hypoglycemic and suffer from Meniere’s Disease that causes vertigo. ALL of my children were born early. Half of my pregnancies ended in miscarriage. Connected? I don’t know. I can’t prove it one way or the other, but it does make you think!
I am considering the GAPS diet for myself and will buy this book this weekend. I am wondering if you GAPS-educated folks can tell me what the therapeutic dose will be? I am wondering how much BioKult I can buy in bulk, but don’t have an awful lot to spend at one time. Thanks!
Hi Lisa, you have to work up to the top dose very slowly. BioKult is very strong and will really knock out those pathogens in your gut in a hurry so you have to be slow about it else you will make yourself sick with all the toxins from the pathogen die off. Follow the directions in the book or on the gapsdiet.com website for guidance on how to slowly increase over time.
Thanks Sarah…. but I’m wondering if I should begin with an order of one bottle at a time? I know ordering bulk will be cheaper, but can’t order as many as ten as I have seen.