A woman send me a message that read: “I used progesterones for about two years until they made my migraines worse so I stopped oral birth control.”

Bioidentical progesterone that is exactly the same as the progesterone that the human body makes does not make migraines worse if it is properly balanced with physiological dosages of estradiol.

However, oral contraceptives do have the potential of worsening migraine headaches. It is important to understand that oral contraceptives NEVER contain progesterone. Instead, they contain non-bioidentical chemicals such as levonorgestrel, norethindrone, norgestimate, norgestrel, desogestrel, and drospirenone. Often, these hormone disrupting chemicals are misleadingly referred to as “progestins” or “progestagens” even though they have very little in common with bioidentical progesterone and even though they have completely different properties. None of these non-bioidentical chemicals are produced by the human body so it is no surprise that they have known side effects that include blood clots, stroke, hypertension, weight gain, headaches, and many more.

That is why I do not recommend oral contraceptives for any reason. Natural family planning and/or barrier contraceptives such as condoms, diaphragms, and cervical caps in combination with spermicide are much safer options.