If you stop taking your birth control pills

Birth control has many perks and comes in a variety of methods that allow you to customize your protection to your lifestyle and needs. However, the type that pops to mind most often when you think of birth control, is the pill version.

According to a 2018 review published in the British Medical Journal, the birth control pill can clear up your skin, regulate your periods, alleviate PMS, and prevent pregnancy. So if you've been taking oral contraceptive pills for years, it's understandable that you might be a little nervous about what will happen to your body when you stop.

The good news? "For the most part, women don't notice too much of a difference [when they go off the pill]," said Alyssa Dweck, MD, a gynecologist in New York and author of The A to Z of the V. But if you were taking birth control for a specific reason, such as alleviating cramps or acne, you could very well see a return of those symptoms once you're no longer on it.

"A lot of the changes women see go back to the reason they were taking birth control in the first place," Dr. Dweck explained.

The side effects of stopping birth control may also depend on what kind you've been taking (combination, progestin-only, or extended-cycle) and your dosage. And two people taking the same pill could still have different experiences when they quit. Still, some common changes may happen to your body when you stop taking birth control pills. Here's what you should (and shouldn't) expect to happen.

No, your body doesn't need time to clear birth control from your system. For most people, regular ovulation resumes within a month or two, and a 2018 study published in Contraception and Reproductive Medicine found that 80% of people were able to get pregnant within 12 months after stopping hormonal birth control, including oral contraceptives, intrauterine devices (IUD), and injected forms of hormonal birth control.

If you're not trying to get pregnant, use condoms or another type of contraception immediately after you stop taking your pills.

Don't ditch birth control solely to drop a few pounds. Though many people believe they've gained weight on the pill, research hasn't found a link between oral contraceptive use and weight gain.

A 2014 Cochrane Review of 49 relevant trials found that birth control did not appear to impact weight significantly. "There has been no definitive evidence showing that starting—or stopping—birth control pills will affect your weight," said Neha Bhardwaj, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive science at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. (One exception: progestin-only birth control injections may cause weight gain.)

Combination birth control pills (the most common type), which combine estrogen and progestin, clear up acne in many people because they can lower the body's androgen levels, a hormone that produces oils on the skin. You may discover new crops of pimples after you stop taking the pill—especially around your period when hormone levels fluctuate.

"Going off birth control pills may return acne symptoms to what they were before starting birth control pills," said Dr. Bhardwaj. If you decide to go off the pill, there are other ways to manage your hormonal acne, like switching cleansers, reducing stress, or taking probiotic supplements.

Switching birth control pills or going off it could trigger telogen effluvium, a temporary condition that causes your hair to shed. Telogen effluvium usually subsides within six months after your body has adjusted to not being on birth control. Some people who had hormonal-related hair loss (as a symptom of polycystic ovary syndrome, for example) before they went on birth control might notice that it returns when they go off the pill. All that said, hair loss is complicated, explained Dr. Dweck, and is often related to other factors, such as stress.

The bottom line? "Most women won't see a significant net effect on their hair after stopping birth control pills," said Josh Klein, MD, chief medical officer at Extend Fertility in New York City.

On the flip side, some may grow more hair, but not necessarily on their heads. Dark, coarse hairs can pop up in unwanted spots like the face, back, and chest if the body produces too much androgen. According to a 2016 review article published in Fertility and Sterility, PCOS is the most common culprit.

One of the biggest benefits of the pill is that it regulates your menstrual cycle. "Birth control pills typically lighten periods and decrease pain associated with periods," said Dr. Bhardwaj. When you first stop taking oral contraceptives, it's not unusual for your period to be a little unpredictable in terms of how heavy or light it is, how long it lasts, or how crampy you get.

"Some women who have been on the pill for many years assume their cycles are very regular," said Dr. Klein. "But when they stop the pill, they learn their cycles are not as regular as they thought." After two or three months, your period should return to normal, Dr. Klein added.

Another surprise guest that could reappear when you quit the pill? PMS. "This is a big reason why many women go on birth control in the first place," said Dr. Dweck. If you originally started taking the pill to ease PMS, don't be surprised if symptoms like moodiness and irritability become more noticeable now that you're off it.

A 2016 study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism reported that many people experience a drop in vitamin D levels when they stop taking birth control pills. This is especially problematic for people trying to conceive since vitamin D helps support the fetal skeleton during pregnancy.

Let your healthcare provider know you're quitting birth control pills, and ask about ways to get your daily vitamin D, whether by spending more time outside (with SPF!), eating vitamin D-rich foods like fatty fish, or possibly taking a supplement.

Many people report achy breasts before their period (you can thank hormones for that—a spike in progesterone before your period stimulates growth in the milk glands, which can cause tenderness). Since birth control pills regulate your hormone levels, they may alleviate this symptom. So going off the pill could mean your breasts start to feel a little more sensitive post-ovulation, said Dr. Klein.

However, breast tenderness can also be a side effect of being on the pill, said Guirlaine Agnant, MD, chair in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital in Mount Vernon, NY. If your breasts felt super-sensitive at certain times of the month when you were taking birth control, it might go away once you stop taking it. For these people, "stopping the pill will bring back normal breast tissue, and no tenderness should be experienced," Dr. Agnant said.

You might also notice slight changes in the appearance of your breasts: "Some women will see their breasts deflate a bit when they go off the pill," said Dr. Dweck.

Between one-fourth to one-half of people report migraines around the time they get their period, according to a 2022 review published in Cells. The review explained this is most likely due to a drop in estrogen levels. Certain birth control pills that let you skip periods or go longer between them, such as extended-cycle pills, may prevent migraines. For these people, going off birth control pills could cause their headaches to become more frequent.

Dr. Agnant told Health that some patients complain their sex drives took a hit when they first went on the pill. "This is most likely due to changes in hormonal production," Dr. Agnant said, adding that these women usually experience an increase in libido when they stop taking birth control.

But again, every person is different—and for some, sex could be more stressful without the protection from unplanned pregnancy that birth control pills offer.

"Decreasing the risk of pregnancy for a woman may allow her to enjoy the experience of sex more," said Dr. Bhardwaj.

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