Here's What Happens When You Go Off Birth Control

I remember the first time I went on birth control. It was my freshman year of college, and my hormonal acne was off the charts. I wanted to blame my new surroundings and diet of Easy Mac and beer (I mean, apple juice), but my dermatologist pinpointed my out-of-whack hormones and prescribed the pill to handle my situation. I was scared to take a pill every day for the next… however, long was necessary but essentially decided to venture down the monthly pill-pack journey for the sake of a smooth complexion.

In addition to drastically clearing up my skin, it also helped relieve me of my once debilitating period cramps (and, of course, helped prevent pregnancy). But recently, I found myself in the midst of constant, painful bloating and decided to self-diagnose birth control as the culprit. Without consulting a physician, I went off of it to test whether I could finally shed the water weight, but the results were underwhelming—stagnant, even. I also noticed a slew of other changes like intense cramps and irregular periods.

I decided to put aside my WebMD mentality and consulted two gynecologists who shed light on the common bodily changes you may encounter post-pill, which differ from woman to woman. First things first, aside from pregnancy, there is no immediate risk of stopping hormonal birth control right away (phew). According to Jessica A. Shepherd, M.D., "Although there may be changes seen after stopping the pill, there is no danger in stopping immediately from a birth control regimen and no need to taper off the doses."

Today, we're just focusing on the pill, as symptoms during and post–copper IUD, hormone implants, or other forms of contraception will differ. For more on these changes, keep scrolling.

Hormones Regulate

According to Shepherd, when you go off the pill, your body and mind return to their natural state. Sara Twogood, M.D. adds, "Essentially, the hormones that regulate your menstrual cycle start their normal fluctuations and cycles again." In other words, when you're on birth control, your natural hormones are suppressed by the hormones in the pill, so once you go off, your hormone cycle kicks back into gear, usually within a few weeks.

Periods May Become Heavier and More Painful

After about 30 days, your period will start up again. The type of flow you'll experience may not be pleasant, though. "Birth control pills usually make your period lighter, less painful, and more predictable, so a woman might experience heavier or more painful periods or slightly irregular cycles," says Twogood.

Skin May Break Out

However, because hormones are stabilized while you're on the pill, once they return to their normal state—which could be an irregular roller coaster—hormonal acne may be your reality. During ovulation, your estrogen and testosterone levels are at their highest, and a common response can be breakouts. A selective diet may help regulate hormones and your skin once you're off the pill.

Conception Is Possible Immediately

If you're discontinuing the pill because you want to get pregnant, the average time until conception is about five months (compared to an average of three months when stopping a form of non-hormonal contraception, like condoms), says Twogood. However, conception is possible immediately after stopping birth control.

Libido Increases

In a similar vein, women's sex drive often increases once they quit the pill. Twogood explains that birth control pills suppress your libido, so coming off the pill will spike your testosterone levels again and likely relight the fire.

PMS Symptoms Increase

Perhaps you went on birth control to decrease your PMS symptoms (irritability, fatigue, breast tenderness, and headaches, to name a few), but you may notice them pick back up post-pill. Again, this is due to your fluctuating hormones.

Weight May Increase

Shepherd notes that your weight may increase after coming off the pill. This could be in relation to water retention (increased bloating—a PMS symptom) or hormone irregularity, but it isn't the norm for all women. In fact, some women might lose weight—it really depends on your body and should be considered on a case-by-case basis.