Going Off Birth Control for the First Time in 5 Years

I don’t often talk about things like this on my blog, but since it’s a big change I’m making and something I found myself Googling information about, I wanted to also be a resource for others. I’ve been on birth control since I was 21 years old and as someone who has a history of chronic migraines and ovarian cysts, voluntarily changing up my hormone levels by going off the pill has been a scary thought for me. Keep reading for details on why I’m going off birth control for the first time in 5 years + my symptoms/experience so far!

WHY I’M GOING OFF THE PILL

The main reason I’m going off birth control is to prepare for when Justin and I try to have a baby, and this is the first step. I don’t know how long it will take to get my regular period back off of birth control (what I’ve read said it could take 1 month to 6 months or more for some), so I’d rather start earlier rather than later so I’m ready to go when the time comes — whenever that may be.

Unlike some people on the pill, I have a scheduled “standard” period every single month on birth control that lasts about 4-5 days, so I’m hopeful that my body will continue that pattern on its own. I honestly can’t remember what my periods were like before I was on birth control, but as far as I can remember, I think I had one every month or every 6 weeks or so. You don’t ovulate when you’re on the pill, so it’s weird to think it’s been half a decade since my body has done that.

*For anyone who may be curious, the birth control I’ve been on since day one is Junel.

RESEARCH & SYMPTOMS

I did tons of research before I went off it. I watched a lot of YouTube videos and read blog posts about other people’s experiences so I could get a better understanding of what to expect. The results were honestly all over the map. People claimed they gained or lost weight, moods changes, skin improved or worsened, etc. and each person seemed to be totally about or completely against birth control. Most of the content I came across was from people who stopped taking birth control because of negative effects it had on them, rather than quitting to prepare for starting a family like Justin and I are interested in. For that reason, the info across the board was kind of skewed.

If you’re also researching this, here are some posts/videos I found insightful:

• Birth Control Advice: How to Stop Birth Control Pills After Long-Term Use
• Wannabe Fashion Blogger’s post
• Women Stop Taking Birth Control for the First Time
• So You Want to Quit Hormonal Birth Control? What to Consider

The potential negative symptoms are why I’ve been scared to do this. I know a lot of people go off birth control when they get married and just use other forms of contraceptives as needed, but since it’s had so many benefits for me and I felt good on it, I stayed on it without a second thought. Unrelated or not, my skin was clear on the pill, my migraines seemed the same, ovarian cysts were minimal in comparison, most of my periods were light and manageable pain-wise, and I always knew exactly what days my period would start and end. Birth control put me on a really great schedule too, which was yet another perk.

Hormones can affect females in so many ways, and I’m nervous that my migraines are going to spike and my ovarian cyst frequency will increase because I’ve stopped taking it. These are both things that affect my life in a huge way when they occur, so the thought of being bed-ridden or having to cancel plans because of my health/pain is just awful.

I actually quit taking birth control for a week or so a couple years ago because my endocrinologist recommended it as a test to see how much of a role that the pill played or didn’t play with my migraines, but I quickly jumped ship when I had a cluster of ovarian cysts rupture shortly after. You best believe I took my pill again that very same night (lol, but really… OW), so it’s safe to say I didn’t really give that experiment a fair chance. However, now I am!

MY EXPERIENCE SO FAR

Today is day 5. To start, I decided it would be a good idea to re-download a period/ovulation tracker app to keep notes during this process. I used to use one of these back in the day before I went on the pill, but it’s been so long that it almost feels weird doing this again! I would love to know what apps your guys recommend for this type of thing — right now I’m using Clue, but are there any better ones out there?

Anyway, on a more personal note, I’ve been going to a bit of a rough patch emotionally lately, and one could argue that changing my hormones could be a great idea or an absolutely terrible one right now. I honestly have a good feeling about it though and I feel like I’ve seen a bit of a mood improvement over the last few days, but I don’t know if that’s a coincidence or not. Working towards having kids is also something I really want, so I think that makes me have an even more positive attitude about this transition.

As for other symptoms, I’ve experienced headaches the most this week and no breast pain or spotting yet like I’ve heard some people mention. I had an all-day headache my first day off the pill on Monday (that meds couldn’t kick), Tuesday was GREAT, I woke up with a headache that medication cured on Wednesday, Thursday had a small afternoon headache that went away and today is good so far. Unfortunately, these headaches aren’t uncommon for me, so it hasn’t really been a big deal for me personally. I’m crossing my fingers that nothing too bad comes my way, but I know that’s a possibility and all I can do is be as prepared as I can.

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That’s my why and everything I’ve experienced so far! This will be a continuing journey on my blog, so be sure to check back for more updates if you’re interested or going through the same thing. If you’ve done this, what was your experience going off birth control? Let me know in the comments!