I Had Post-Birth-Control Syndrome. Here Are The Foods & Lifestyle Habits That Helped Me

As a registered dietitian, I routinely work with women of all ages to help them balance their hormones, fight fatigue, move through sticky and slow weight loss, promote sleep—basically anything and everything hormone-related. I’m fairly versed in what to do and how to help my clients. But this time it was about me.

Two months later, everything changed. My mood was ever turbulent, I cried sometimes without warning, my skin was broken out in every direction, my period was no longer regular, my boobs were swollen and painful for two to three weeks before my period, my sleep was irregular, I was absolutely EXHAUSTED, and frankly, I was miserable. I was so confused because I didn't know what had gone wrong or what had changed.

A year and a half later I’m finally feeling like myself, and though I’m sure with more information I could have helped myself sooner, what I learned throughout the process is and was invaluable to my health and my mental wellness. At this point I have used what I learned through my research, my own doctor visits, discussing with other practitioners and more, to help women suffering from hormonal imbalance and PCBS.

It’s quite common for progesterone to be on the lower side after stopping birth control, and this is what can cause or contribute to many of the ugly symptoms. Here are a few things that I did to get back towards normal:

Our hormones respond to the food we eat in a big way, especially when they’re really unbalanced.

I want to caution you about doses because everyone is different, but if you are working with an alternative medicine doctor or dietitian/nutritionist, these are some of the ones I tried.

Sleep is KEY for hormonal balance. Like me, you may have trouble getting sleep, so try to set up a happy nightly routine, like taking a bath, doing some gentle yoga, coloring, reading, or doing something quiet that feels good for your body and your mind. This is really helpful.

It can sound overwhelming and confusing, but honestly it’s so helpful, and though your cycle may not be regular, keeping an eye on when you get your period and learning the rough dates of your cycle can help you to understand your energy, cravings, moods in business and socially, and so much more.

Things may more easily frustrate you, get in the way of what you’re used to be able to accomplish, but be patient. Try something new like meditation or yoga—both can help to soothe your mind and help to balance cortisol levels, which is key for contributing to balanced hormones in general. Though it can feel overwhelming to start a new practice like this, it’s so helpful and can really help to quiet the mind during an otherwise tumultuous time.

Therapists, dietitians, your doctors—we’re all here to help you, so if you want or need help (which most of us do!) reach out. The best thing I did was to reach out to my community and ask for help, something I’ve often shied away from in the past.

I can’t say this enough: There’s no one magic pill; it all works in concert. Trying new modalities of treatment like cupping (a massage technique), functional manual therapy (a type of mobility-promoting physical therapy), acupuncture, Reiki—honestly, it all helps our bodies to work better and feel better. Give any of them a try—you never know what's going to work for your body.