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Beyond the Pill summary
Jolene Brighten
A 30 Day Program to Balance Your Hormones, Reclaim Your Body, and Reverse the Dangerous Side Effects of the Birth Control Pill
13 mins
Brief summary
Beyond the Pill by Jolene Brighten offers insights and solutions for managing hormonal health naturally, providing alternatives to hormonal birth control. It empowers women with knowledge to balance their bodies and improve overall well-being.
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Beyond the Pill
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Key idea 1 of 4
The problem with the pill
When Angela decided to stop using birth control after over a decade, she faced a challenge that's all too common, yet rarely talked about. A whole year passed without her period returning, which clouded her hopes of getting pregnant.
Angela's story is far from unique. As a specialist in women’s health, the author Dr. Jolene Brighten meets patients like Angela all the time – women who are on the pill, or who used to be on the pill, struggling with side effects and symptoms their doctors never warned them about.
First, let’s clarify something. Brighten isn’t anti-pill. This popular form of hormonal birth control has given women unprecedented control over their fertility, symbolizing freedom and autonomy. But many women who are on the pill – about 60% – take it for reasons unrelated to contraception, such as painful periods. If you’re currently on the pill, regardless of the reason why you started in the first place, it’s worth asking yourself – are you sure you want to continue?
Just consider some of the pill’s broader effects on health. They can include infertility, reduced sex drive, digestive problems, fatigue, hair loss, and mental health struggles including depression and anxiety. On top of this, using the pill significantly increases the risk of serious health conditions such as blood clots, diabetes, heart attacks, autoimmune diseases, and breast, cervical and liver cancers. And as if that wasn’t enough… if you take the pill, your risk of developing Crohn's disease increases by 300%.
Pretty concerning, right? When you start to think about the long-term effects hormonal contraceptives can have, you might consider switching to something else.
But stopping the pill doesn't necessarily mean these problems immediately go away. Many women, like Angela, experience Post-Birth Control Syndrome, or PBCS – a set of lingering symptoms after stopping the pill. PBCS can include loss of menstruation, infertility, gut issues, and hypothyroidism, which means an underactive thyroid. All of this points to a disruption in how the body regulates itself. And it’s not all that surprising, when you think about how the pill works – by cutting off communication between the brain and the ovaries.
But luckily, despite all these issues, there are things you can do to take back control of your body. Even if, for whatever reason, you choose to stay on the pill. The message is this: You can heal yourself.
The author Brighten is a leading expert in PBCS, and has designed a program to help women. To give just one example, it worked for Angela. After following Brighten’s program, Angela’s period returned, and she then got pregnant.
Let’s find out more about this program.
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What is Beyond the Pill about?
Beyond the Pill (2019) is a guide to navigating the variety of health issues caused by the birth control pill. Whether or not women continue to take the pill, they can gain insight into their mental and physical health, and take active steps to feel better.
Beyond the Pill Review
Beyond the Pill by Jolene Brighten offers a comprehensive guide to hormone balance and women's health. Here's why this book is a valuable read:
- Explores holistic approaches to women's health beyond just medication, empowering readers to take control of their well-being.
- Provides evidence-based strategies and practical solutions to common hormone-related issues, offering a clear path to optimal health.
- With its accessible language and relatable tone, the book transforms complex medical information into engaging and actionable advice.
Who should read Beyond the Pill?
- Women currently taking the birth control pill
- Women who have recently stopped taking the pill, or who are thinking of stopping
- Anyone interested in the effects of hormonal contraception
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Beyond the Pill FAQs
What is the main message of Beyond the Pill?
The main message of Beyond the Pill emphasizes holistic approaches to women's health beyond conventional medicine.
How long does it take to read Beyond the Pill?
Reading time for Beyond the Pill varies, but expect a few hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just a few minutes.
Is Beyond the Pill a good book? Is it worth reading?
Beyond the Pill is a valuable resource for women's health, offering insightful guidance and empowering perspectives worth exploring.
Who is the author of Beyond the Pill?
The author of Beyond the Pill is Jolene Brighten.
What to read after Beyond the Pill?
If you're wondering what to read next after Beyond the Pill, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Marketing Artificial Intelligence by Paul Roetzer & Mike Kaput
- Women, Food, and Hormones by Sara Gottfried
- Fast Like a Girl by Mindy Pelz
- Made You Look by Carmen Simon
- Help Me, I Have No Discipline and Zero Self-Control by Vaughn Carter
- The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine
- I'm So Effing Tired by Amy Shah
- The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- You Only Die Once by Jodi Wellman