What to Know Before You Transition Off of the Birth Control Pill – Cora

If you get your period but you experience hormonal acne. 

If you started on birth control primarily to manage your hormonal related acne, you are not alone. Many women are offered birth control as a solution to this problem. While the Pill is incredibly effective at controlling acne, it is once again not addressing the root cause of this condition.

To help ease this transition and prevent the recurrence of hormonal acne, there are several recommendations that are worthwhile to consider and begin at least one month prior to discontinuing the Pill. I emphasize an elimination diet, especially sugar, dairy, and gluten as these are big culprits of hormonal acne, as well as supplementing with zinc and collagen to boost skin regeneration.

On the other hand, if you had clear skin before, but ended up with acne after discontinuing the Pill, it is possible that the underlying root cause of your acne is an unbalanced or disrupted gut microbiome. In fact, birth control is known to disrupt the gut microbiome. Again, implementing dietary and lifestyle changes can be beneficial in this scenario as well.

As more and more women are choosing to forgo the birth control pill for more natural options, it is ideal to prepare your body as much as possible during the months leading up to discontinuation, so that you can have a smooth transition. If the reason you started taking the Pill was to help manage hormonal or menstrual-related symptoms, know that at best the Pill can be considered a symptom suppressor. It will not help to address the underlying root cause of your issue. Fortunately, this is one of the best times to partner with a functional medicine practitioner who can help you decode your symptoms from a whole-body systems perspective, and offer a comprehensive diet, supplement, and lifestyle program to help you finally put your symptoms into remission.