What I Wish I’d Known About the Pill, Progesterone, and Adenomyosis

At 17, like many women, I went on the pill. I came off it to have my two daughters, returning to it after my second daughter was born when I was 32. I stopped taking it altogether at age 36. What followed was nearly a decade of struggling with my health: fatigue, gut issues, pain, anxiety, and a sense of disconnection from my body. At 45, I was diagnosed with adenomyosis. I was offered the Mirena coil and then HRT, but both made me feel worse. Now, at 50, I manage everything through lifestyle, strength training, and natural support. I sleep well if I manage my cortisol. But I’ve often wondered: Should I have stayed on the pill longer? Would that have stopped the adenomyosis from developing?

Here’s what I’ve learned.

The Pill and Adenomyosis

The pill does not prevent adenomyosis. It can sometimes mask the symptoms — lighter bleeding, less pain — but it doesn’t stop the internal changes that cause it. In fact, hormonal contraception can suppress ovulation for years, meaning we don’t produce our own progesterone, the hormone that has anti-inflammatory and calming effects throughout the body. The synthetic version (progestins) are not the same. They don’t provide the same neurological or metabolic benefits.

The Problem With Suppressing Symptoms

When I came off the pill, I was completely unprepared. I had no idea how disconnected I had become from my body’s rhythms. I experienced gut inflammation, anxiety, and hormonal chaos. I later realised my gut health had been poor for years – likely worsened by the pill’s impact on my microbiome. My liver had been overburdened. My nervous system was in fight or flight. And I hadn’t been ovulating, so my body hadn’t made its own calming progesterone in years.

What Helped Me Heal

Everything changed when I stopped chasing a quick fix and started listening to my body. Strength training, walking, giving up gluten and dairy, eating more protein, and working with my nervous system all helped me come back to centre. I started sleeping again. My mood improved. The pain became manageable. My body began to feel like home again.

Would I Be Healthier If I Had Stayed on the Pill?

No. In hindsight, staying on the pill might have suppressed some symptoms, but it would have continued to disconnect me from my body. It wouldn’t have healed the root cause. The healing came when I supported my gut, my liver, and my nervous system. When I learned about real progesterone, inflammation, stress, and how everything is connected.

We’re sold the idea that synthetic hormones will fix everything but our bodies need more than symptom management. They need nourishment, movement, rest, and reconnection.

If you’ve struggled with hormone health, gut issues, or endometriosis / adenomyosis, know that you’re not alone. And there’s another way forward. You don’t have to stay stuck in a system that only offers suppression. You can choose healing.