#26 How does the Pill shut down your brain?

The Pill and other hormonal contraceptives shut down your brain in order to avoid pregnancy.

With Jenny Koos aka Vulverine - a Justisse reproductive health practitioner and a faculty member of the Justisse College International - discover how hormonal contraception really works.

Disclaimer: this episode is not against the Pill. It gives information about hormonal contraceptives to encourage active choice making instead of passive acceptance.

I highly recommend that you checkout a previous episode called “What are the different phases of a menstrual cycle?” if you are not familiar with this topic.

Facts:
• In 2010, Bayer made $1.5 billion from Yaz, then its second best-selling product.
• Today, 80% of women will take the birth control pill at some point during their lifetimes.
• 50% of women under age 25 use the pill in the US.
• 50% of women taking the pill say they want to regulate their periods and are prescribed the pill for this reason first.

Find Jenny on:
• vulverine.se
• boon.tv/vulverine
• instagram.com/vulverinekoos

Mentioned in this episode:
• the Pill
• hormonal IUD, vaginal ring, hormonal implant
• hormonal glands
• Hypothalamus, pituitary gland, ovaries
• negative feedback loop
• menstrual cycle
• estrogen and progesterone
• Follicular phase and Luteal phase
• Progestin, ethinyl estradiol and gestogens
• ovulation
• menstruation
• withdrawal bleeding
• the boomerang effect
• uterus and Fallopian tubes
• ectopic pregnancy
• PMS and PCOS
• combined Pill, mini Pill
• going off the Pill
• endocrine disruptor
• Sweetening the Pill or how we got hooked on hormonal birth control, by Holly Grigg-Spall