Beli Prenatals are HSA/FSA eligible!

The Great Debate — Should You Cleanse After Coming off Birth Control?

We’ll get right to the point. There are a lot of products out there claiming to cleanse the body after coming off birth control, with zero scientific evidence supporting their efficacy. Any pill or powder or liquid that promises to remove synthetic hormones or help your hormones “reset” after birth control is on shaky ground, because the market need they fill is itself based on a common misconception. So the short answer is no, you don’t need to cleanse after coming off birth control. Now, properly preparing your body for the best chance of pregnancy? That’s a different story.

Key Takeaways

  • A common misconception about hormonal birth control is that they can build up in the body and wreak havoc on your fertility health.
  • Products marketed as birth control cleanses capitalize on this misconception, but there is no research to support their validity or benefits. In fact, in some cases, they could include ingredients or medications that might be downright harmful.
  • Research shows that synthetic birth control hormones leave the body quickly once you stop using them, and studies confirm that they don’t negatively impact your ability to conceive or delay fertility in any meaningful way.
  • Instead of a birth control cleanse, prioritizing a healthy lifestyle, improving nutrition, and taking a high-quality prenatal vitamin can help prepare the body for the best chances of conception.

Fact — hormones from birth control methods like the pill and the patch don’t “build up” in the body and make your fertility health go haywire. It’s a stubborn myth, with many people assuming detoxing after birth control is the first step to getting back to a natural cycle or becoming pregnant. But the human body is a pretty amazing machine, and it’s designed to process and remove medications — including your birth control — without any outside assistance. Once you stop supplying a steady source of contraception, you’re essentially good to go. Think about it — if your birth control of choice is the pill, there’s a reason you need to take it at the same time every day. Even a few hours difference can mean hormone levels drop enough for you to become pregnant.

One caveat here is the shot. If you opt for this method of birth control, fertility levels can take up a year to stabilize. But a cleanse isn’t going to change that. And again, there are no studies that say otherwise. In fact, there are no studies on birth control cleanses at all, so not only is there no evidence that they work, there’s nothing to say they’re actually safe. While you may be personally willing to take that risk, ask yourself how you’d feel if you become pregnant while cleansing.

Post Birth Control Syndrome

The persistence of birth control cleanses may be due in part to what’s known as post birth control syndrome, a charming collection of symptoms that you may notice as your body naturally adjusts to its own cycle and hormone levels. These can vary and may include:

  • Breaking out
  • Hair loss
  • Irregular cycle
  • Headaches and migraines
  • Mood swings
  • Weight gain
  • Digestive issues, including bloating

In some cases, these are things that your birth control was actually suppressing, meaning they aren’t necessarily side effects of quitting your birth control. Not fun, and definitely not convenient if you’re ready to get pregnant. And keep in mind another reality of hormonal birth control — there is evidence that long-term use can create vitamin shortages, specifically for vitamins B6 and B12, magnesium, vitamin C, zinc, and folic acid, which isn’t ideal if the plan is a baby.

Luckily, in lieu of a questionable cleanse, there are a few things you can do to actually support your body.

Prioritize a Healthy Lifestyle

If you smoke, quit. If you drink, scale it back or stop altogether. And if you aren’t exercising regularly, start penciling in those workouts. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep, try to minimize major sources of stress, and just take steps in general to lead a healthy lifestyle. It’s the low-hanging fruit of the “trying-to-get-pregnant” checklist, and it matters. If you didn’t already know that your preconception health plays a direct role in a successful conception, pregnancy, and the health of your baby, well, now you do.

Improve your Nutrition

So many things come back to your diet, which makes sense. After all, what you eat is your body’s primary source of all the nutrients you need, which means a steady diet of processed junk and alcohol is pretty problematic. Just about every dietitian out there will advise you to get the bulk of your nutrients from your food, and yes, it is easier said than done. If you’re coming off birth control, do your best to prioritize healthy foods like lean sources of protein, high-quality fats, and quality complex carbohydrates. And then, add a high-quality prenatal vitamin to the mix.

Start Taking Prenatal Vitamins

A daily prenatal vitamin is a simple way to shore up nutritional deficiencies when the goal is a baby, and both hopeful moms and dads are encouraged to take them. But be clear — not all prenatal vitamins are equal, so opt for a high-quality, science-backed formula with recommended amounts of key nutrients. Doing so will eliminate a surprisingly big majority of the prenatals on the market, since many of them are either missing key ingredients, like choline, or using them in such negligible amounts that there’s no actual benefit. 

We’ll go ahead and recommend Beli for Women and Beli Vitality for Men, both of which are formulated based on the latest research with an emphasis on quality, safety, purity, and efficacy and designed to fully support your fertility. They’re also in it for the long haul, from preconception to all three stages of pregnancy into the post-natal phase. So skip the birth control cleanse, and start as you mean to go on.

Additional Resources

Somewhere between the “let’s have a baby!” conversation and seeing those two pink lines, you’re going to end up researching prenatal vitamins. And trust us when we say you’re going to have a ton of options to wade through. Consider this your handy guide to the best prenatal vitamins for men and women in 2024.

Read More

Here at Beli, we’re working hard to raise awareness of the important role men play in the baby-making equation, which brings us to today’s topic of men’s preconception health and specifically, sperm health. Knowing what you’re working with can save you a lot of time, but is at-home sperm testing considered an important part of men’s preconception health? Let’s break it down.

Read More

Most births occur between June and early November. Count back nine months, and you’ll see that places most conceptions in the fall and winter. So what’s the deal? Is it the cold weather, all the festivities, or something else driving us between the sheets? That ugly sweater is pretty cute, but you can chalk this up to reproductive seasonality. Here’s what that means, why it matters, and what to do to use it to your advantage.

Read More

There’s a certain magic to the holiday season, whether you’re all-in on the decorations and the family time or a self-proclaimed Scrooge from mid-November to the New Year. But when you’re trying to conceive, it can be a challenging time.  We’re sharing five tips for managing the holidays when you’re trying to conceive.

Read More

Everyone knows that alcohol and pregnancy don’t mix. But what about before you’re pregnant, during the trying-to-conceive stage? There’s no evidence that the occasional drink—i.e. one or two a week—is going to torpedo your chances of parenthood. But it is true that the more you drink, the greater the likelihood it will have an effect on your health. Here’s what the research says about alcohol and your fertility.

Read More

You’re clear on the mechanics of making a baby, but how much do you really know about conception and fertility? There are a lot of wild stories, downright falsehoods and notions that are actually rooted in a kernel of truth out there. In the interest of sticking to the facts, we’re debunking 15 of the most common myths about conception and fertility.

Read More

When you’re knocking boots in an effort to get knocked up, timing is everything. Your best chance of conceiving is during the most fertile time of your menstrual cycle—when you ovulate. The key is figuring out exactly when that happens. Fortunately, you have a few ways of detecting ovulation. Here’s what to know about understanding ovulation and timing sex for pregnancy.

Read More

You have big plans for parenthood in 2024, which means this is the time to start laying the groundwork for everything to come. While so much of conception is beyond our control, there are actionable steps you and your partner can take right now to support and nourish your fertility.

Read More

Is there anything worse than the two-week wait? All the listicles out there sensibly advise keeping busy and journaling and talking it out, but we’re sharing more specific recommendations collected from the Beli community. Read on for seven tips for surviving the two-week wait without losing your mind.

Read More

Heard the one about ice baths and testosterone? Spoiler: there's little to no research behind that idea. Here’s what to know about cold plunges and male fertility, according to the research, plus where you should really focus your efforts if you’re trying to improve sperm health.

Read More

As a society, we’re an impatient bunch, and that applies to pregnancy, too. The second you decide it’s time to try for a baby, you’re ready to see those two pink lines. If you’ve recently tossed the birth control and you’re wondering how long it should take to get pregnant, here's what to know.

Read More

Jimmy Fallon. Hugh Jackman. Mark Zuckerberg. Keith Urban. Gordon Ramsey. Kyle Busch. Besides immediate name recognition, what else do these men have in common? They’ve all struggled with infertility issues—and it’s something they’re all talking about publicly. Here's why that matters.

Read More

There’s a persistent misconception that a woman’s egg quality is largely untouchable—you get what you get, and the rest is out of your hands. But for women actively planning on becoming mothers, there are a handful of best practices that can go a very long way. So, can you improve egg quality in 90 days?

Read More

Can weight loss improve your fertility? That depends on what you read. In today’s post, we’re running through all the latest data on weight loss and fertility, and clarifying why the focus should be less on pounds lost and more on prioritizing habits that support your health as a whole.

Read More

Perimenopause is a transitional time that’s pretty wild in its own right, with hormonal changes similar to a roller coaster and major changes to your cycle. Balanced hormones are, of course, key to successfully becoming pregnant and it’s certainly reasonable to wonder whether it’s possible to get pregnant during perimenopause. The short answer is oh yes. 

Read More

While it’s true that popular hair loss meds work minor miracles on that receding hairline and back-of-the-head bald patch, it’s also true that it can come with side effects—some of them sexual. So, what does that mean in terms of male fertility? Here’s what couples should understand about the effects of popular hair-loss medications on sperm health.

Read More

A few years ago, the keto diet was all the rage—a high-fat, low-carb way to shed pounds quickly. While it’s lost a bit of its luster, as all diet trends do, interest in the keto diet remains. Specifically, those hoping to become parents wonder whether following this way of eating could support fertility. Is a diet high in fat and low in carbs the answer? It’s possible. Here’s what to know about the keto diet and whether it might help support fertility.

Read More

When you’re pregnant, of course, you’re told to limit your caffeine consumption. But what about when you’re trying to conceive? Can too much caffeine affect your chances of conception as a couple? It's a good idea to cut back—which means you need to be really clear about sneaky sources of caffeine in your diet.

Read More

Here at Beli, we’re staunch advocates of supporting men's fertility health in anticipation of fatherhood. In fact, our men’s prenatal vitamin, Beli Vitality for Men, is actually our flagship product. Today, we’re diving into the obvious and unexpected benefits of prenatal vitamins for men, starting with what actually happens when you start taking them.

Read More

Forbes Health recently reviewed our men's prenatal vitamins and we love author Leigh Weingus' take: "Beli Men Vitality Multivitamins first caught my eye because while I often see supplements that claim to improve fertility outcomes for women, I rarely see the same thing for men." We hear you, Leigh! Check out the full review here and read on for some highlights.

Read More

Everyone responds to supplementation (not to mention pregnancy!) differently, which is one reason that how you feel isn’t a clue into whether or not your prenatal vitamin is actually working. Instead, you need to be confident about the prenatal vitamin itself, and there are a few things you’ll want to look for.

Read More

We’re back with our second post in our “It Starts With The Sperm” mini series on the key roles sperm plays in conception, pregnancy and baby, and this time, we’re talking DNA. When it comes to male fertility, it’s not enough to have a high sperm count and top marks for motility and morphology. Without low levels of DNA fragmentation, a man’s fertility—along with his ability to successfully conceive with a partner—is affected.

Read More

In this three-part mini series, we’re covering all the ways sperm seals the deal for a healthy conception, pregnancy and baby, with a deep dive into three key functions. First up is how a man’s sperm affects placental development. Spoiler: sperm carries what amounts to the architect’s rendering of the placenta, so it’s no small thing!

Read More

Polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, affects 1 in every 10 women of childbearing age, which adds up to a lot of women. Sure, they’re not all actively trying to conceive, but those who are will find PCOS poses a hurdle. The good news—it’s a hurdle that can be managed

Read More

There’s an essential connection between our minds and our bodies, and when we neglect one, it inevitably catches up with us through the other. For women becoming mothers especially, the body-mind connection is worth paying close attention to. Here's how prenatal vitamins can help.

Read More

The role of a prenatal vitamin is to support the healthy growth and development of growing babies, and minimizing the risk of birth defects is front and center. But can your prenatal vitamins really reduce the risk of birth defects? Absolutely!

Read More