In this episode of Bulletproof Radio, I’m welcoming Dr. Jolene Brighten back to the show. She’s a functional naturopathic medical doctor and nutritional biochemist with a focus on women’s endocrine health. Dr. Brighten is recognized as a leading expert in post-birth control syndrome and the long-term side effects associated with hormonal contraceptives.Her new book: “Beyond The Pill: A 30-Day Plan to Support Women on Birth Control, Help Them Transition Off, and Eliminate Symptoms of Post-Birth Control Syndrome” addresses the health risks of oral contraceptives and their connection to significant hormone dysfunction.She and I talked on episode #415 about how women’s hormones affect all parts of their bodies and brains at different ages and stages of their lives, particularly after childbirth. In this conversation, we’re going in a different direction. We cover what happens to women’s body systems while they’re on hormonal birth control and then when they stop using it. There’s also research about what the pill depletes from women’s bodies. Essential supplementation is needed while taking birth control and also when stopping.“There's a lot more going on with women's hormonal health that lends itself to this idea of, how crazy are we to give a medication, and to shut down a woman's reproductive system, and act like that's not going to have any long-term impacts, or any impact on her body as a whole?” Dr. Brighten says in our interview.This is a must-listen episode for both women AND men. We get into alternative birth control methods—and how well they work. And why sex tends to get better when women go off hormonal birth control. The more we’re discovering about women’s hormones, the more important it is for us to understand how hormonal health is an integral part of women’s experience—both personally and within their relationships. Enjoy the show!