Are menopause symptoms affected by birth control pills?

Several people of different ages take hormonal birth pills. It includes people taking them during perimenopause, which defines the first stage of menopause. Menopause is said to begin a year after your last period. Perimenopause still witnesses several menopause symptoms, even if you’re not in menopause yet.

These symptoms might include irregular periods, insomnia and hot flushes. The hormonal contraceptives might hide these symptoms, or it may cause side effects that could be interpreted as hormonal fluctuations that are completely natural.

Birth control pills contain hormones in a synthetic form similar to the ones that decline during menopause. Oestrogen and progesterone are handed the responsibility of regulating your periods. They also aid your developing pregnancy. As you age, oestrogen and progesterone levels in your body decline, which causes menopause.

A synthetic form of these hormones can be found in birth control pills. A combination of pills could include both of these hormones. Taking these pills can, therefore, trick the body into failing to notice the levels of oestrogen and progesterone falling during menopause.

Due to this, the symptoms apparent during perimenopause might be disguised by taking birth control pills. One of the most common symptom women experience during perimenopause is irregular periods. On the flip side, if you’re taking pills that only contain a synthetic form of progesterone, you might experience hot flushes and irregular bleeding during the early stages of menopause.

A proper combination of birth control pills with the right hormones could help keep your menstrual cycle even. It could also easily keep various menopause symptoms at bay. The irony lies in the fact that the pills might cause side effects similar to the symptoms of fluctuations in your hormones caused by menopause.

These might include several menopause symptoms like a loss of libido, erratic mood swings and distinct changes in appetite. Spotting between two cycles or having irregular periods is another common experience, especially if you’re taking pills with progesterone in them.

It takes a specific time for your hormones to rebalance after you stop taking the pill. It might take up to a few months. It is difficult to tell the source of your symptoms, though. The side effects of taking synthetic hormones through the pills are similar to those caused by hormone fluctuations occurring naturally in your body.

One of the positive ways to check the cause is for you to stop taking the birth control pill until your body goes back to its natural cycle.

For the natural rhythm of your menstrual cycles to return, it will take time. So you need to be patient while your natural hormones kick in again.

If your symptoms, like irregular periods, persist even after you have gone off your birth control pills, you can peg them on perimenopause. On the other hand, if the symptoms ease up, they were probably side effects from the pills.

Once you stop taking birth control pills, you must give your body at least a few months to readjust.

The possibility exists that the birth control pill you were on helped hide menopause or perimenopause. If this is true, then going off the pill won’t restart your menstruation.

There is no definite way to know the cause of your symptoms if you’re taking birth control pills. If you’re on the pill, the synthetic hormones present in the pills could ensure that your periods are quite regular. You could menstruate regardless of the occurrence of perimenopause.

If you consult your doctor before taking the pill, they would recommend you go off it once you reach the age of 51. Most women encounter menopause around this age, so going off the pill helps to check if you’re there yet.

Going off the pill means that other contraceptives should be used. At least until you’re sure menopause has started.

Menopause occurs 12 months after your last period. The first phase of menopause is called perimenopause. It can start approximately 15 yrs before menopause rolls in. There are several symptoms you can keep a lookout for to warn you of approaching menopause. Some of these symptoms include hot flushes, night sweats, insomnia, fatigue, low libido, thinning skin, mood swings, depression and anxiety, and vaginal dryness.

Menopause can make you vulnerable to certain diseases such as osteoporosis, heart diseases and cancer. So it is advisable to consult your doctor during all stages of menopause.

Various herbal supplements might help reduce menopause symptoms and provide relief. These include supplements like evening primrose oil.

Every individual woman experiences menopause differently. The symptoms vary, as does their intensity. While some women might have to go through the agony of experiencing a wide variety of symptoms, others might only experience a couple. The treatment, therefore, is different for every person according to their wants and needs.

Hormone replacement therapy is one of the most popular treatments for menopause.

It involves balancing the declining hormonal levels in your body. Oestrogen and progesterone hormones are introduced into your body to make up for the deficit menopause creates.

The cause of most of your menopause symptoms can be found in the declining levels of oestrogen and progesterone. Hormone replacement therapy helps reduce the symptoms you’re experiencing, or might outright prevent them. You should keep in mind that hormone replacement therapy does not work as a contraceptive. So if you need relief from your symptoms and contraception during perimenopause, you might choose to go for birth control pills.

Menopause symptoms do not always have to be treated medically by taking pills. You could try natural methods that can be implemented easily at home. These include daily exercise, reducing the cups of coffee you have in a day and the amount of alcohol you consume. You could use ice packs to navigate through your hot flushes. Herbal supplements like red clover, ginseng, black cohosh, dong quai, kava, and evening primrose oil, might prove beneficial to help reduce your menopause symptoms. If your sex life has taken a hit, try to use vaginal lubricant during sex. You should find different ways of releasing stress, including having an active social life.