Not Ready To Ditch The Pill? Here's How To Reduce Its Side Effects

That's why I wrote Beyond the Pill: To help you understand what those hormonal symptoms mean, how the pill is affecting your body, and what to do if you either need to stay on it or are ready to get off it.

But don't panic if you're not ready to ditch the pill. You can support your body and minimize side effects with these seven strategies:

While the pill is suppressing your natural sex hormones, there are plenty of other hormones that need your support, like thyroid, insulin, and cortisol. What you eat can have a profound effect on how dramatic the pill's side effects are. Diets rich in sugar, refined carbohydrates, alcohol, nonorganic meat, and conventional dairy products can all knock estrogen and other hormones out of balance1. Stress, environmental pollutants, and hormone-disrupting chemicals further ramp up these imbalances2. Dial down these problem foods. And step up more vegetables, healthy fats, and fiber to balance your hormones and reduce the symptoms birth control can create. Consider adding seed cycling to your routine to add nutrients and support your body on the pill.

Studies3 have shown that oral contraceptive users have elevations in the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP), which can contribute to heart disease, compared with those not on the pill. Lowering inflammation will improve your mood, help with cramps, and reduce back pain and fatigue. To do that, eat a diet rich in hormone-balancing anti-inflammatory fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids found in foods like wild-caught fish and flaxseeds. Sprinkle turmeric everywhere you can, and consider anti-inflammatory nutrients like fish oil and curcumin.

Research4 has shown that women on the pill experience dysregulation of their HPA-axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis), which leads to inappropriate cortisol secretions. Especially when you're on the pill, keeping stress in check becomes essential to your health. How you do that depends on what works for you. Meditation (even five minutes can do wonders), prayer, mindfulness, finding your happy place, indulging in a massage, acupuncture, reiki, and a mani-pedi are all badass practices to pamper yourself and reduce stress. So are orgasms, so try to have at least one per week!

Birth control depletes nutrients like crazy5. Among the key nutrients the pill depletes include folate; vitamins B2, B6, and B12; vitamins C and E; plus magnesium, selenium, and zinc. At the very least, I recommend a solid multivitamin-mineral, omega-3 fatty acids, and extra magnesium. I also recommend a good probiotic supplement and—if blood work shows you re low—extra vitamin D.

If you're not sleeping at least seven hours per night, you can kiss awesome moods and hormonal balance goodbye. Poor sleep habits, insomnia, and sleep deprivation can cause changes in key hormones6 that affect the menstrual cycle. Adequate, restful sleep is absolutely vital to restoring your adrenals, thyroid, and hormones and repairing your body, leaving you feeling your rock star best.

Your liver eliminates hormones the body no longer needs, including synthetic hormones from the pill. While on the pill, your liver is still actively detoxing these hormones, but it takes a bit of a hit from nutrient deficiencies created by the pill impairing detox pathways and the direct impact of the pill7 on the liver. Supporting the liver is an essential step in the recovery of your hormonal health. Two of my favorite ways to do that: Aim for 3 to 6 cups of organic vegetables and at least 25 grams of fiber daily.

Even if you decide to stay on the pill—hey, I'm totally cool with that—these seven strategies can minimize its side effects and keep you feeling fabulous. If you do decide to eventually get off the pill, you'll have fewer issues making that transition if you've been employing the strategies shared here.