[isobasic]

I have an idea and I need some advice as to whether it might be a good one! My boyfriend has been taking thyroid hormones and he's explained he has to take a tablet each day for two days and then take two days off and repeat to make sure he adds the hormone but his own production doesn't shut off. I was wondering if I were to do a similar thing with my birth control pill it might allow my natural hormone production to get going again while adding bonus hormone? Obviously I know I wouldn't be able to rely on it to prevent pregnancy used in such a way, but last time I spent some months away from my boyfriend and went cold turkey my body went crazy, presumably because it wasn't used to making its own hormones any more. Thoughts?

[Dynseli]

I don't think that bcp shuts off your body's hormones. It influences two hormones estrogen and progesterone, so these two hormones working together aren't likely to desensitize hormone production.

bcp does make it easier on the body. It lessens menstruation, which loses vitamins and minerals that lower the body's ability to function efficiently.

[hannah]

I read a lot about it and for sure think it shuts down your normal production! I dont have much time atm but will post again tonight to explain my thoughts!

[peggy]

hannah14 is right, bcp shuts off your normal production. This happened to me when I took the bcp years ago and I have a friend who still takes the bcp and she made a saliva test and her hormones were all below the range. It's really scary what the bcp does to the body...

[hannah]

My experiences were extreme weight gain up to 10 kgs, but all false weight you loose when the hormones are out off your body. And right after I took it I got in a sort off bubble. When people started talking to me it went right past me. It's hard to explain. But hormones are who we are it is involved in lots off maybe every process in the body.
You can take these male fighters who take steroids for muscles as example. These guys can be very agressive,lol. But when they stop they loose their muscles and normalize mood..all hormones. I lost about 7 kgs just after stop bcp. Further I'm a bit tired so hope this message makes any sense. But pills are preventing your egg from falling. Sometimes the body reacts bad on that you could becomes earlier menopausal or get ovarian cysts as far as i know. And during ovulation your body produces hormones, so if you dont ovulate(on bcp you dont) certain hormones are somehow influenced and more important suspressed. So thats a bit the conlusion I had from doing research..:p

[Dynseli]

I meant to say earlier, I think BCP would lower FSH and LH. These can lower estrogen during ovulation, but there are few other routes of estrogen production.

I agree with a lot of Hannah's last post. Some more of it makes sense, but I don't know how accurate it is.

BCP is different than steroids, because BCP has two types hormones, and steroids have one type. When there are two types of hormones, they usually prevent or slow down desensitization for the effects of these hormones; but this doesn't include the effects on other hormones and receptors (LSH, LH). When there is one hormone type, as in steroids, desensitization happens, as everyone well knows. You may be correct, in that for certain hormones, but possibly not all, BCP has an effect like steroids.

[hannah]

Most off the estrogen comes from your ovulation I read. Thats why beeing (pre-)menopausal brings some problems like hot flushes and other things along. When I quit bcp I got acne for about 3/4 months maybe now I'm just thinking I can back this up with the fact off an estrogen drop.

[Dynseli]

I updated the other post, since you replied. Sorry about that.

Most off the estrogen comes from your ovulation I read. Thats why beeing (pre-)menopausal brings some problems like hot flushes and other things along. When I quit bcp I got acne for about 3/4 months maybe now I'm just thinking I can back this up with the fact off an estrogen drop.

This is something to consider. A lot of estrogen production happens during ovulation. There is some more during luteal, and some that keeps the cycle going at other times.

Hormones and biology are complex, but Hannah seems to know a lot.

[isobasic]

Well they've established that the ovaries actually shrink and shrivel up over time using bcp. You have to wait from a few months to a year sometimes to restore normal fertility. I've also experienced it first hand as when I came off bcp my weight distribution was unlike it's ever been before - my boobs and hips shrunk and mybelly and waist expanded bigger than they've ever been.
So I'm wondering up to what level/frequency you can take bcp and still have your own ovaries and hormonal system functioning? And also what complications there may be

[Bambii]

Back when I was on bcp I really sucked at taking them daily and often ended up taking one every 2-3 days (I was so bad with them) and it really messed up my period - but I've always had a wacky period. Idk I think you should be careful tho with generalizing that what works to help thyroid hormones will also help sexual hormones, because the thyroid makes so many different hormones, I think what your bf's pill would likely do is cause an influx of support in the creation of a hormone that lowers stress hormone amounts in the body, and so relaxing and helping the body as a whole cause having a ton of these stress hormones in the body isn't good, stress hormones exhaust all your nutrients and trigger your nervous system to be on high alert which uses even more nutrients up.

But playing with sex hormones in the same way, just causes waves in the body not really lowering a "bad" hormone to help the body, I feel like the body wouldn't like such volatility. Lowering stress hormones would strengthen a person's immune system on a general basis and so kind of level a person out instead of making waves but going up and down with birth control pills just seems like you'd be putting your body out on a boat on the ocean.

Are you trying to come off of your bcp without having it mess up your system? maybe cutting their size down to 3/4 for a cycle, then 1/2, 1/4 and then none would help while switching to a herb to stabilize you at the same time. && lots of clean water !