Birth Control Pills and Uterine Health: The Far-Reaching Residual Affects

Months after stopping her birth control pills, a 19-year-old woman is experiencing spotting and abnormal vaginal discharge. She already discontinued the problem-causing medication-- what else can she do to restore her uterine and vaginal health?

Case #: 843

Concern：

Hi, I’m 19, and I used birth control pills for almost a year and a half. About 4 months ago, I decided to stop taking them. Recently, I’ve been having a dark brown to dark red vaginal discharge every two weeks! I’ve read in previous cases that this is the result of the pills, but am I supposed to experience this even though I already stopped taking the pills months ago? And what should I do to stop this discharge? I really need help, since now, I can’t tell the difference between my menstrual discharge and this brown discharge.

Discussion：

You are correct that the birth control pills are most likely the cause of the discharge you are experiencing, which can resemble menstrual discharge. Unfortunately, some (or all) of the external symptoms of hormonal imbalances that birth control pills can cause sometimes hang around long after stopping the medication, including abnormal vaginal discharge.

How Birth Control Pills Work

The central mechanism of hormonal birth control is to flood your system with synthetic estrogen and progesterone, starting a chain reaction that involves metabolically shutting down your ovarian function. Although preventing ovulation is the singular goal of the pill, the chain reaction hardly stops there. In addition to producing gametes (egg cells), the ovaries also play an important role in maintaining normal levels of hormones that are important for sexual health. For example, ovarian function is essential for maintaining normal testosterone production. The excessive progestins and estrogens in birth control pills can throw off your hormonal balance, resulting in everything from deficiencies in neurotransmitters that affect your mood to an overabundance of hormones that cause the uterine lining to dissolve and separate, similar to the process that normally occurs during menstruation.

It is not known how long the residual effects of birth control pills can linger after prolonged use, but research suggests that it could be many months before your body returns to normal. There is even some concern in the scientific community that many years of hormonal birth control use can permanently affect fertility.

Progesterone Imbalance and Vaginal Discharge

Excessive progesterone, in particular, is known to contribute to increased vaginal discharge. In addition to increasing in volume, the discharge may turn a dark color due a combination of uterine spotting and vaginal yeast. When blood from this spotting process remains in the uterus and cervix for too long, it can cause an abnormal increase in the flora naturally present in the vagina. An imbalance in vagina's internal ecosystem is the mechanism behind several types of infection, including yeast infections.

How to Improve Your Vaginal Health

While the liver and other organs gradually clear excess progesterone from your system, you may continue to experience spotting and increased discharge, which leads to an environment that is more susceptible to infection. You can take measures to speed the recovery process from the cumulative effects of hormonal contraception and control vaginal infection in the meantime. (SEE: Vaginal Detoxification and Relief) A variety of herbal supplements and natural strategies are available for improving vaginal health and normal floral diversity, including formulas designed specifically to counteract residual influences for birth control pills.