I’ve just started birth control pills and am wondering if anyone has insight on how this might effect my practice. Because there are so many hormone balancing kriyas, I’m worried that I am causing a serious conflict in my body. Any input would be very much appreciated.
I personally have never noticed a difference in my personal practice. I’m very happy to say that I’m finally going off birth control so we’ll see how that goes!
Thanks Xela, it’s causing a bit of anxiety because it feels so unnatural and like I’m going against the grain of Yoga but I just have to get on these things…
Keep tuned in to see if the birth control pills affect your joints. The pill has different side effects for different people. When I was on them for a while in the mid-90’s, they made my joints hurt terribly. It was so bad that I sometimes could barely walk. Once I got off of them, my joint pain subsided a lot. Just keep this in mind if you suffer the same effect, as it would probably interefere with your practise quite a bit.
I was on birth control pills between ages 15 and 30, as my doctor prescribed it for a condition called polycystic ovarian sydrome (PCOS). Not only was I one the Pill for half my life, but doing yoga through those years. I am now 34 and have established a normal menstrual period without the use of pharmaceuticals.
I suspect that birth control pills have implications that most people are not aware of.
I have found in doing some research online, that relaxin is suppressed in women who take BCP for extended periods of time, and it seems that relaxin is related to production of collagen and oxytocin. Is it correct that the lack of relaxin can lead to degradation of joints and muscle tissue?
In our thirties, women are advised to focus on strength training and muscle building exercise. As a devoted yoga practitioner, I have reached an impasse in my practice, where I am hypermobile, injured, and fearful to practice. I even question whether yoga is right for me.
Does anyone have further research to support this concern? Is anyone out there knowledgeable about the connection between relaxin, BCP, and yoga:confused:?
Jai Hoo,
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[quote=purelight;16972]I was on birth control pills between ages 15 and 30, as my doctor prescribed it for a condition called polycystic ovarian sydrome (PCOS). Not only was I one the Pill for half my life, but doing yoga through those years. I am now 34 and have established a normal menstrual period without the use of pharmaceuticals.
I suspect that birth control pills have implications that most people are not aware of.
I have found in doing some research online, that relaxin is suppressed in women who take BCP for extended periods of time, and it seems that relaxin is related to production of collagen and oxytocin. Is it correct that the lack of relaxin can lead to degradation of joints and muscle tissue?
In our thirties, women are advised to focus on strength training and muscle building exercise. As a devoted yoga practitioner, I have reached an impasse in my practice, where I am hypermobile, injured, and fearful to practice. I even question whether yoga is right for me.
Does anyone have further research to support this concern? Is anyone out there knowledgeable about the connection between relaxin, BCP, and yoga:confused:?[/quote]
Hello purelight,
I want to first recognize that you have been able to make some changes in your body that have resulted in “normal” menses without pharmacological intervention. Pharma can certainly be useful and, depending on the condition and the person, it is many times absolutely necessary for the health, safety and wellness of a person. That said, there are opportunities for many, many, many people to re-evaluate their [I]actual need [/I]for pharma interventions—as in the situation of yours, and of my own. In fact, the design of many pharmas is for finite protocols: the sustained usage of many pharmas was not even in the scope of research required for FDA approval. Many pharmas were not evaluated for sustained, long-term use, so in turn, many prescribing doctors may not have access to statically significant data so that a person can make their own information choices about their personal course of pharma use.
My personal story of BCP Rx, I also suspected that BCPs had undisclosed and even unknown general implications, and later I intuited that BCPs had specific personal implications for my body and spiritual wellness. Perhaps you will share this experience with me; even though my cycle had been regulated by BCP, so that my cycles were contrived to mimic a natural cycle, I also knew that I had experienced a positive shift in my body. I was beginning to understand that I had what I needed for my body to keep its intended dominion. At that time, my body-mind connection had deepened and there was a huge shift: physically, emotionally and spiritually. I know for myself, for my friends, and from the women I have worked with, that these are equally weighted aspects to a woman’s cycle. I suspect from your posts, that this [I]knowing[/I] may be yours as well.
I know we have exchanged some messages about this thread. Since then, I have pouring over notes from my endocrinology semester, but have not found much in these that is particularly useful to this conversation, aside from the known significance of relaxin in non-pregnant females and in males is broadening from recent research. It has been nearly 5 years since I was at the university, and at that time, research was being conducted on the role of relaxin in the central and visceral nervous systems–those were 2 of many areas of research that I was aware of. So my understanding of many specifics is limited, but from what I do know in general of relaxin and where the concentration of relaxin receptors lie in the body, I believe it is unlikely your hypermobility is due to a hypo- [I]or[/I] hyper-production of relaxin. Relaxin does play a normal, functional role in collagen building and breakdown, so my thinking is that you would likely show broader symptoms than of simply hypermobility—both systemically and most noticeably in the areas for the body with the largest number of relaxin receptors are located, like the kidneys and the pelvis to name just 2 highly concentrated receptor areas.
Have you had a conversation with your prescribing provider about your concerns? Though a physician may not be able to give you a definitive answer without testing, they will likely have a clear idea if this is an issue for you depending on all of your presenting symptoms. This might bring you peace of mind if you are needing that.
If I can shift the language, and speak to your symptoms in Yogic and Ayurvedic terms, I can offer you something from these systems of functional medicine. Vata, through our prana and the vayus, is our first means of perceiving and then pitta becomes the means for our discernment. When we are more doshically balanced, our perceptions and discernment mirror the truth of the situation, when they are less balanced, they are less truthful and less clear. From the symptoms that you have shared here, the hypermobility, the fear of practice, injuries—these are a symptoms of vata imbalance. If I was seeing you as a client, I would begin with vata-pacifying practices and diet. I would also work with you and the first 4 of Mukunda’s 18 Tantrik lessons, which include self-sensing practices and working with your personal prana.
My sense is that you are close to your answer because you are asking such good questions and also being able to evaluate your symptoms as a sign that you need to get some reflection from others. Ideally, we ask questions and request reflection, then we take these inside where we can ask if this makes sense for ourselves–this leads to better and better questions, as well as more truthful insights. You are right there with this.
This is what I can think to offer you, based on what you have initiated, though my feeling is that the Ayurveda will be what will be most helpful to your listed symptoms and will get you further down your path.
I wish you all the best,
Nichole