What about birth control, absent periods, and menopause?

Unwrapping Pandora's Box

Let’s just dive right in.

In a natural menstrual cycle there are four unique phases. Each phase has very different levels of hormone cocktails and therefore; a woman thinks, feels, and behaves differently in response to these hormone fluctuations.

Because of ovulation, women take on certain natural abilities and challenges. Women see the world differently depending on the week in their menstrual month. Women are equipped to grow, create, destroy and rest.

To get a fuller understanding of what each phase/week entails check out the series Seasons Change. It still amazes me that the cycle lines up with the tides, moon phases, and seasons of the year. The actual seasons can teach us a lot about the mysteries of women.

Back to the big question: But what about birth control? This is somewhat of a gray area and hopefully I’m not getting in over my head here. I am not going to cover all forms of birth control just some of the most common.

Does birth control have any effect on a woman’s four phases?

The answer depends on certain factors. Here’s what I have found.

Is the birth control method a barrier method (No hormones, i.e. condom, diaphragm, sponge, spermicide etc.)?

If Yes, then synthetic hormones are NOT being used and your ability to ovulate is intact. If you are ovulating, then you are experiencing phases.

Does the birth control method contain synthetic hormones (i.e. combination pill, mini pill, shot, implant, patch etc.)?

If Yes, then synthetic hormones progestin and Ethinyl estradiol (EE) are being used to stop ovulation when used in combination. Progestin-only such as the low dose mini pill also stops ovulation. Please do your own research to find out what exactly is in your birth control method so that you know what is happening.

*Quick disclaimer: Because I am not a doctor I can only give you the research that I have found. Any further questions should be taken up with your own personal doctor.

The bottom line? Are you ovulating?

If the answer is a solid yes, then yes, your body is going through the hormonal fluctuations that make you phasic.

The Pill

The pill was the first hormonal birth control to be available to women in 1960. Using synthetic Ethinyl estradiol (EE) and progestin, the pill prevents ovulation. Before that, the most common birth control methods were barrier methods such as condoms and diaphragms. Because the pill uses synthetic hormones to block ovulation, the body goes into a sort of menopausal state. During the 7 days of taking the blue pills or the placebo pills the body no longer receives hormones and responds by bleeding. This is not a menstrual bleed but a withdrawal bleed. To understand more specifically about the pill or mini pill read here to hear what Lara Briden author of Period Repair Manuel says about the importance of ovulation for overall health.

I personally used this method for about 7 years straight and during that time I don’t remember any doctor telling me this information. Also, I look back and I don’t remember having four phases of energy shifts either. During that time I thought I was the same person(feeling the same) everyday. I do remember that I still had cramping with my withdrawal bleed and that made me think that I was having a regular period. I loved that my “periods” became so predictable, light and short. I also didn’t know that it was wreaking havoc on my adrenals and my reproductive hormones until years later. I am in no way giving advice as to whether anyone should or should not be on the mini pill but I am telling you to ask questions at your doctors office and do extensive research to be sure this is right for you.

Nuva ring

The nuva ring is a ring that is inserted into the vagina monthly and releases hormones that stop ovulation. What appears to be a bleed with the nuva ring is actually a withdrawal bleed (like the pill) as the body stops receiving hormones during the week that it is removed and the body bleeds in response. I also used this method for about a year and did not understand that my body was no longer making its own hormones. Again, ask questions and do your own research.

Intra Uterine Device (copper and hormonal)

Both the copper IUD and the hormonal IUD are a t-shaped device that is inserted into the cervix and sits inside the uterus. Both are designed to prohibit implantation. But unlike the pill, they allow ovulation with the copper IUD and in some cases with the hormonal IUD. Some women do not bleed with the IUD but are still ovulating. For more information on IUDs Lara Briden also offers information on her website.

If you are not bleeding…

You may have had an endometriosis ablation or a uterine hysterectomy (where the ovaries are still functioning) and in both cases you may still be ovulating regularly (since your ovaries are still producing eggs) in which case your body is producing hormones and you are cycling, just not bleeding. As I understand it, there is a hormone feedback loop. Which leaves me to wonder, how long does the body continue the ovulation process without bleeding?

What about menopause?

After your body has been in rhythm of phasing through four seasons every month for years on end and it abruptly shifts or erratically shifts until you don’t bleed for one full year (meaning 365 days of no periods), that day marks menopause. After that day you are considered post menopausal. Here’s the thing. Our bodies are habitual creatures. Your body may still have phases, although these phases may not have the dynamic energy or shifts they had during your menstruating years.

If you are tracking through this life changing event, this rite of passage if you will, you may find that you still have phases. If you have found women’s cycle awareness after you have finished your menstruating years, you may want to track daily to see if you find subtle shifts in energy and teach yourself to live with your phases post menopause. Some women find that after menopause they see themselves tracking with the actual moon. If you are interested in this approach, begin tracking on the new moon to see where your energies line up. I personally have not reached this stage of my life yet (although it may be somewhere on the horizon) so I can not speak to this topic with much more detail. However there is growing literature around this topic, which is great news!

5 Key takeaways:

1. In a natural cycle a woman ovulates (releases an egg) every month around day 14. This process happening over and over causes the mind and body to shift gears with each different hormone cocktail being mixed up about every week. Four dynamic phases begin to take shape in a woman’s mental, physical, emotional, and social energies.

2. When ovulation is stopped completely there is a flatlining of hormone levels and coincidentally there is a numbing (sometimes subtle, sometimes dramatic) type response in the mental, physical, emotional, and social energies.

3. During menopause and post-menopause the hormone levels come down for a landing and ovulation stops. This process is different from anovulatory cycles from birth control in that there are no synthetic hormones causing little spikes everyday. HRT (hormone replacement therapy) can be helpful for some as the process is not always a smooth coast to landing and some women find relief from symptoms that can feel like minor disruptions to all out hell. Again, do your research in this area.

4. Understanding our phases throughout our menstrual cycle is important to our mental and physical needs. If you are using birth control it is equally important to know what, if any, changes to your hormone levels are happening and how that directly affects you. The beauty is, we can do a little research to find out. There are more options available to us now than ever before.

5. As the saying goes, “we are creatures of habit”. The body begins to sync itself after menarche (the first bleed) and we become cyclical in the way that we experience and respond to our inner and outer world. The phases equip us to house and create life and to practice a graceful and beautiful death. Our bodies are playing an orchestra of energies and the musical instruments involved are hormones.

If you want to find your own phases and patterns begin a cycle journal!

As I emphasize in every post, tracking is a great way to get in touch with your body to see if you are cycling. Does your body go through phases of outward energy and inward energy?

I hope this answers some questions around the topic of natural phases in correlation to birth control, absent periods and menopause.

If you still have questions, I encourage you to do your own digging!

Happy cycling!