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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
How “The Pill” Can Harm Your Future Child’s Health – The Healthy Home Economist http://t.co/K9D5anEj
I am 31, and I went off the pill about 6 years ago, after being on I from age 16. We have been trying to get pregnant since I went off the pill, and have been unsuccessful. I have done charting, ovulation tests, diet & exercise and have finally turned to IVF. I was not 100% comfortable with hormone injections and pumping my body full of chemicals, but we were told that because the issue is my husband’s and not mine, that the IVF was our best choice. However, on top of all the injections and other drugs, they put me on the pill for a full cycle before the IVF cycle. I am listless, fatigued, grouchy and have zero sex drive. When I complained they told me that it is necessary to “reset” my cycle in preparation for the IVF cycle. I am very frustrated and now I’m more worried about having to be on and off the pill. Is there any way to counteract the negative effects of the pill, while on the pill? I don’t want us to go through all of this, to produce a child who is unhealthy and unhappy because of my choices.
Jamie, I am so sorry for all of the trouble you have been through. You and your husband do need to make the decision that is best for you. You said that you tried charting- which method did you use? The Billings Ovulation Method shows you much more than just ovulation time, it shows hormone levels and if healthy eggs have been released, etc. Other methods are fine for basic fertility management, but when it comes to really getting an idea of what is going on in your system, Billings outshines them all.
I am a certified Billings teacher, and have done extensive research on the effect of the Pill on future fertility. Giving the Pill to “reset the system,” really doesn’t change what your body is doing. The artificial hormones give the appearance of a “reset,” but if there is an underlying problem, it remains and can be an issue when trying to achieve pregnancy- even using IVF. There are so many variables, and I don’t know all the details of your situation, but I would love to dialogue with you and help if I can. Please feel free to email me at [email protected] or visit our website http://www.nfpaware.com. We do web conferences all the time.
I will leave you with this: In a 5 year study, concluded in 2003, 207 “subfertile” couples (had been trying for 15 months without success) used the Billings Method to try and achieve pregnancy. 65% of them achieved pregnancy within an average of 4 months. 17 couples had tried IVF and it had failed. 7 of these achieved naturally with Billings.
Like I said, you need to make the decision that is best for you. But I would love to talk about your options using Billings. You may be able to avoid much of this craziness and create a more healthy you in the process!
This is overwhelming and makes me feel guilty and awful, because I, like most other women my age, spend years on the pill. But…information is power, and I am glad I have this information now.
My first daughter is surprisingly healthy considering everything I did “wrong” before she was conceived, during pregnancy, and during breastfeeding. I guess I lucked out and I am grateful, or maybe she will have problems of some sort later in her life.
My second child, born over 5 years after the first, was conceived in a “clean” and healed body, given WAPF foods in utero and via breastmilk and as first foods. She has actually been sick more often than my older daughter and has a less robust immune system, although she has been more physically robust (bigger, stronger) and has wonderful spacing in her teeth and excellent facial structure.
I think the reason my youngest has been more susceptible to illness is that I had postpartum depression and this caused a lot of stress and negative energy in our lives. With my first child, I was happy and relaxed postpartum.
So I’ve learned that I can’t control everything and that some things are left up to chance, and that with the rest, I can do my best and forgive myself for what I didn’t or couldn’t do.
Please don’t feel guilty. We have all been duped by the conventional medical paradigm at one time or another. All we can do is learn and grow as time goes on and do the best we can with what we know to be true at the moment.
I recognize there side effects woman can experience while on the pill, but the post’s conspicuous lack of suggestions of other birth control options is a bit of a concern and makes me wonder if there is another agenda here–especially considering the author’s attack on condoms, too. There is also a lot of talk in the comments about using natural family planning which assumes the only reason women take oral contraceptives is to avoid pregnancy. There is no discussion at all about the options for woman whose menstrual problems are so severe they are actually physically debilitating and/or socially or economically limiting. Nor has there been much discussion about woman who face serious health risks from pregnancy.
I agree that the traditional medical community does not always give patients all the facts they need to make an informed decision, and I do think it would be best for women to be well-informed about all their contraceptive options including all the risks and benefits. However, I think there is a lot of painting with a very broad brush. I’m not a big fan of oral contraceptives, but I do think there are some circumstances where the therapeutic benefits outweigh the risks.
Maybe you missed that the post is about the connection between a certain contraceptive and gut dysbiosis, not a discussion of the most healthy forms of birth control. You seem like the one with an agenda, not the author.
I used to take the pill. That was what everyone did. My periods were very frequent which annoyed me a great deal – I was bleeding for 7 days, then 7 days off, then another 7 days of bleeding – and so on. I went to different doctors for advice about alternative methods of contraception, but the only thing they suggested was implant or intrauterine device (which consists of the same hormones anyway). When I asked about a ‘natural’ method, they only knew of one – the Rhythm method which I knew didn’t work. I was also worried about the relation between the Pill and cancer. When I asked about it, doctors usually took out their big book of drug side effects and read from it that there was nothing to prove that Pill may contribute to cancer (!)
So I did my research and discovered Fertility Awareness Method (there is a book about it by Toni Weschler). That was a revelation to me. I felt so happy to be able to stop the Pill.
But for a few months after stopping the Pill I had periods with very short luteal phase which is not normal and especially problematic if you are trying for a baby. Luckily, I found a remedy for it – agnus castus (chaste tree) capsules – they worked miracles in rebalancing my hormones. I recommend them for any woman going off the pill. Nettle and dandelion tea is also useful because it helps the detoxification so your liver can get rid of the excessive hormones brought into your body by the Pill (taking the Pill strains your liver because it has to deal with the extra toxins coming from the Pill).
Hi! I took the pill for several years and stopped as soon as I noticed my digestion changing… and I went to a naturopath and an acupuncturist to recover from it before having children. That was a great help and I could carry my twins with no problems.
And I think that the pill can be a solution for some years in a woman’s life, all depending on how catastrophic a pregnancy would be in her life… Yes, they are some dangers related to it’s use and they are not well know and communicated by doctors, but once a woman is informed, she can make an informed choice, and, if she choses the pill, get off it early before having children, learn her cycles and refill her body with all nutriments before being pregnant.
Sarah, I was not on birth control pills but my question is related to my gut imbalance – If it is passed on to my children should they be taking probiotics? I plan to do the GAPS diet soon to heal my gut but now that they are already born what can I do for them? I can’t put a 7 month old and a 4 year old on the GAPS diet, right? That sounds weird to me! I can do the GAPS diet for myself but what can I do for them so they won’t have problems when they grow up?????
They will have the same predispositions that you have typically. Teaching them to eat right and to include raw and lactofermented foods in their diet on a regular basis will keep them from suffering from similar problems later. Gut balance is something that requires daily work… it’s not something you achieve with a probiotic for a few weeks and then forget about it. It can’t be “fixed” permanently. the gut is balanced and then maintained through healthy diet and lifestyle.
Do have recommendations to naturally heal ovarian cysts? My daughter has been on the pill or a patch due to cysts, pain and abnormal monthly cycles. I am new to all of this and want to be able to give her an informed and educated naturally healthy answer.
Wow, this is frightening, but good to know!