Ep. 605 "What Happens When You Stop the Pill in Midlife?" | Oral Contraceptives, Menopause, Perimenopause, Hormones

About this episode

The episode explores the effects of stopping oral contraceptives during midlife, including hormonal changes and gut health implications.

Welcome to the latest Midlife Minute. Today, I’m taking a closer look at oral contraceptive use in perimenopause and menopause, exploring how oral contraceptives work, how they suppress or blunt perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms, alter hormone signaling and testing, what women may experience when they stop taking them, and why the gut microbiome is an essential part of the conversation. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: How oral contraceptives suppress certain key signaling hormones, making it difficult to assess women’s menopausal status accurately What women may experience when transitioning off oral contraceptives How long-term oral contraceptive use can alter gut microbial function and inflammatory pathways The association between long-term oral contraceptive use and nutrient depletion Why the standard reproductive hormone markers used to assess menopause (especially FSH/LH) are unreliable while on the pill How the microbiome changes that occur as women age may compound the effects of previous oral contraceptive use Helpful dietary, microbiome, and lifestyle strategies to support women navigating the post-pill transition Connect with Cynthia Thurlow Follow on X, Instagram…

People in this episode

Host: Cynthia Thurlow

Topics covered

• oral contraceptives
• menopause
• perimenopause
• hormones
• gut microbiome
• nutrient depletion

Keywords

• oral contraceptives
• menopause
• perimenopause
• hormonal signaling
• gut microbiome
• nutrient depletion
• FSH
• LH

Mentioned in this episode

Products: The Menopause Gut, Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book

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