The Inside Scoop on Birth Control: What Moms of Young Girls Need to Know

Over the last weeks I have written a series of posts on the back story of birth control. While the availability of birth control options for women was a huge step forwards culturally it has also been one step backwards when it comes to the negative impact on our physical health. Being aware of the downsides and taking a proactive approach to our daughters’ health during their childhood can go a long way in avoiding issues later in life.

I began this series by providing a counter argument to a popular article that touted women did not need their periods. In What’s a Girl to Do? I compared the current birth control options available and discussed the range of issues associated with each. In two additional posts I relayed stories that come directly from my practice. Both about women who suffered severe side effects from the Mirena IUD, one having been prescribed it for convenience sake and the other to curb endometriosis symptoms.

Today I want to speak specifically to moms of young girls and call your attention to symptoms you probably don’t think about, but are actually HUGE indicators of your daughter’s health and susceptibility to chronic disease. They are signs that her body is not eliminating optimally and therefore not cleaning itself properly which then directly impacts its ability to heal.

As parents we subconsciously scan our children for signs of health on a daily basis. We tend to watch for things like runny noses, coughs, and skin issues. It’s great to notice these issues, but they are actually secondary symptoms that follow the primary problem of compromised elimination. What we need to be watching for first in preadolescent girls are these four symptoms:

• Less than 2 well formed, pain free bowel movements daily
• Loose or unformed stools
• Frequent urination (more than every 2 hours)
• Night time urination

So, while these symptoms indicate poor elimination for both young boys and girls they are particularly significant in girls. Menstruation is a primary way for a woman’s body to clean. Suppression of their cycle will negatively affect them when they likely choose a hormonal birth control in their teens or twenties. If their elimination systems never performed optimally as a young child, they will absolutely face some real problems when their menstruation is also suppressed. All this decreased capacity to properly clean increases their susceptibility for chronic disease.

When is it a good time to take care of this? I say the younger the better. Addressing this now IS preventative healthcare and keeps your daughter out of what will become a spiraling effect of more serious symptoms. I work with young babies in my practice who have difficulty eliminating, preadolescent girls, and teens. Optimizing elimination in females is easier before the start of menses. This will prevent menstrual irregularity and a host of symptoms mentioned in this article on Menstrual Symptoms: What is Normal?

In closing out this series, here are the points I would most like you to take away:

• A woman’s monthly menses plays a vital role in the body’s ability to clean and heal.
• If this menses will be altered or suppressed through hormonal birth control, it is imperative to optimize the function of the bowel and kidneys before and during its use.
• Moms of young girls need to pay attention and address elimination early to prevent menstrual irregularities and reduce future complications that occur when using hormonal birth control methods.

Next week I begin a new series on acute care just in time for allergy, flu and cold season. Learn what you can do ahead of the season to lessen your symptoms and shorten their duration.