Let’s take a look at what is known about the interaction of birth control pills (oral contraceptives) and IBS to see whether an interaction between the two might be helpful or make your IBS symptoms worse. You can also explore medications in general for IBS.
Female Sex Hormones and the Digestive System
Hormonal changes can be a factor in how the digestive system functions. There are receptor cells for the female sex hormones, estrogen, and progesterone throughout the digestive system. This is why many women have seen a connection between the severity of their IBS symptoms and their menstrual cycles.
Birth Control Pills and IBS
Most birth control pills work by changing the levels of the two female sex hormones. Therefore, it would stand to reason that these medications would impact on your IBS. Anecdotally, some women report that taking birth control pills helped their IBS while others report that their IBS worsened when they started to take an oral contraceptive.
Drospirenone and IBS
However, there may be a glaring exception to the general conclusion that birth control pills have little effect on IBS. A large-scale study published in 2012 found that women who were taking birth control pills containing drospirenone were at higher risk to receive a diagnosis of IBS. These researchers did not find the same higher risk for an IBS diagnosis in women who were taking birth control pills that contained levonorgestrel.
Medications containing drospirenone are used for the treatment of a variety of health problems, as well as for the purpose of contraception, and are sold under the following brand names:
Angeliq Beyaz Loryna Ocella Safyral Yasmin Yaz
What This Information Means for You
If you have not yet started taking a birth control pill but are considering the option, make sure that your healthcare provider knows about your IBS so that they can make an optimal choice for you.
If you have IBS and are taking a birth control pill that contains drospirenone, speak with your healthcare provider about other options. There are a variety of oral contraceptive medications available. Your healthcare provider can pick an option that seems like it will be optimal for you given your overall health status and your IBS.
Even if your birth control pill does not contain drospirenone, but you feel that it is making your IBS worse, bring it the attention of your healthcare provider. Again, your healthcare provider can recommend alternative methods of contraception that will not make your symptoms worse.
A Word From Verywell
Given the fact that there is a relationship between the female sex hormones and digestive functioning makes it seem, at least at face value, that this would open up potential treatment options. Let’s all hope that continued research is conducted to better assess the relationship between IBS and birth control pills and to determine if this relationship can be used to bring about IBS symptom relief.
