A Birth Control Nightmare: She Has Brown Vaginal Discharge and Irregular Periods

She’s taken birth control for six months and has recently experienced brown vaginal discharge. She also suffers from irregular periods, bleeding every two weeks instead of every four. The cause of both symptoms is her birth control.

Case #: 1171

Concern：

Hi. I am 19 years old and have been on Norgestrel for six months. For the last few months, when I am supposed to get my period, I have just been getting brown discharge. It often starts a few days before I am due for my period. Now I got it two weeks after just having had it. What is wrong with my body?

Discussion：

Birth control interferes with the body’s normal processes. While this sounds simple on paper, the human body can be likened to an industrious yet delicate machine. This means that even when we think we’re doing ourselves a favor – like suppressing the ability become pregnant – we are in fact disrupting vital functions.

Before taking birth control, women should remember it has produced side effects since first being administered. The earliest formula was released in 1960, and nine years later, media reports revealed serious problems associated with the pill, including heart attack, stroke and blood clots. Improved formulas have been released since then, but they are by no means perfect because they continue to upset the body’s natural hormonal balance.

Hormones and Birth Control

Oral contraceptives contain synthetic blends of hormones that mimic those produced by the body. Two primarily formulas dominate the market: combination pills with both estrogen and progestin (progesterone), and progestin-only pills with just progestin. Both work to prevent pregnancy, but the former is often described as more effective.

The combination pill prevents pregnancy by stopping ovulation. This means no egg is released for fertilization, and pregnancy cannot occur without fertilization. As another measure against pregnancy, the pill thickens cervical mucus to impede sperm movement. It also changes uterine lining to create a less hospitable environment for an embryo.

The progestin-only pill may or may not stop ovulation. Its primary functions are to change both cervical mucus and uterine lining. It also prevents the development of new egg follicles to prevent ovulation, but again this is a secondary function. Women who cannot tolerate the combined effects of estrogen and progestin are well suited to the progestin-only pill.

Brown Discharge and Irregular Menstrual Cycles

Regardless of the type of pill you take, both produce side effects that many women accept as normal. These symptoms, however, suggest the body needs attention. They also suggest you need to alter or stop your oral contraceptive dosage.

Brown discharge is a common complaint among many birth control users. It is the result of hormonal imbalances, namely a lack of estrogen. This hormone is responsible for producing a thick, healthy uterine lining each month intended to nourish a developing embryo. When pregnancy fails to occur, that lining is expelled from the body during menstruation.

Estrogen imbalance causes the lining to develop with a thin and watery consistency. It can become so thin that it doesn’t stay in place until menstruation. Rather, the lining sloughs off throughout the month and produces the brown discharge of which you write.

Another common complaint when it comes to birth control is irregular menstrual cycles. Oral contraceptives can completely alter a woman’s cycle, including its duration and frequency. The traditional 28-day cycle can thus be shortened to 14 days or lengthened to 60 days.

Lifestyle changes can help you deal with irregular periods. Managing stress, eating nutritious foods and engaging in regular exercise are some examples. But this doesn’t mean you have to live with the side effects of birth control – because you don’t. You can in fact take matters into your own hands with an herbal tincture.

Healing the Natural Way

Tinctures have been used throughout history for thousands of years. They harness the healing power of herbs specific to one’s needs – like, in your case, Dong Quai and White Peony. (TRY: Botanical Tincture for Abnormal Vaginal Discharge) Tinctures also include alcohol, which extracts the herbs’ active compounds and, after resting for several days, creates a powerful anecdote. This beverage will not only correct your vaginal discharge but also improve your sexual vitality so you feel better than ever.