New Moons symbolize beginnings and on January 16th, we have one of the most powerful New Moons of the year happening in earthy Capricorn. It's lunation-packed with heavy yet extremely fertile energy.
Think of New Moons as opportunities to plant new seeds in your life. Whatever you decide to plant in the fertile darkness will eventually take root.
However, since we're dealing with the energies of Capricorn and some watery Scorpio, there are some rules involved.
One: Choose something that inspires passion and you're willing to commit to
Two: Know that it will take your focus and effort to see it materialize. This isn't the kind of seed you can plant and just walk away from. It requires your attentive follow up.
Three: Whatever you're growing will take time and it will likely challenge you, so don't throw in the towel just yet!
Check out how the New Moon in earthy Capricorn will affect your zodiac sign below.
Aries
MARCH 21 – APRIL 19
Even bigger than your career is the legacy that you leave behind. You've been changed, Aries, hopefully for the better. You have fresh ideas and visions that could potentially be used to lead the world in a new, improved direction. Commit to the reputation you'd like to be known and remembered by. Plant the seed this New Moon, and tend to it as you grow into your new form.
Taurus
APRIL 20 – MAY 20
Commit to the building of a new perspective Taurus. It won't come easy and there will be challenges, but with such fertile energy, you can develop a point of view that inspires the next generation. Consider who you've been meeting and how they've pushed you to think bigger and better. This isn't your final throw of the dice, come spring time you'll come up with electric ideas that may change the world. Stay open minded.
Gemini
MAY 21 – JUNE 20
As the natural communicators of the zodiac, The Twins are tasked with being willing to call it as they see it, no matter how controversial the topic may be. This New Moon you're connecting to the undercurrent, the details of what's motivating not only yourself, but the world at large. Think of how valuable a skill set this can be, Gemini, if you hone it daily. To be able to perceive the hard truth.
Cancer
JUNE 21 – JULY 22
You've spent the last few weeks paying attention to what kind of relationships you'd like to have in your life. Partnering means give and take, and in your case, it also means boundaries and the ability to say "no" when you need to. Your shell may take a battering as you bravely tend to your partnerships with others, but trust that, despite the ups and downs of the journey, you are on the right road with your destination in sight.
Leo
JULY 23 – AUGUST 22
Admittedly, there isn't much glamour in desk jobs, paying bills, or committing to a new exercise plan, but you've earned where you are for better or for worse, Lion. Assess what can be improved upon, and move on. Whenever you give your radiant energy to a project, you do it with inspirational style. Let your crowning achievement be taking expert care of yourself to the point that others will be asking for your advice.
Virgo
AUGUST 23 – SEPTEMBER 22
Up until this point Virgo, you've been given opportunities to show off your creative impulse. Whatever you've discovered about yourself over the last few weeks is worth investing in. Creativity is meant to be imperfect as it shows you what it wants to be. Stay the course and keep dabbling and allowing yourself to be inspired by what's local to you.
Libra
SEPTEMBER 23 – OCTOBER 22
Capricorn and Saturn can be heavy energies to grapple with for an air sign like you, Libra. In your sector of home and family, it can also speak to denials of love and affection. If this has been the case for you over the years, know that this the time to build something different. You can plant a home life that's fed on respect, healthy boundaries, and dependability. You can invite people in or keep them out. It's up to you to decide what's worth creating and what would ultimately nourish your strength.
Scorpio
OCTOBER 23 — NOVEMBER 21
You've been gathering knowledge, information, and meeting up with new people these last few weeks. You should have a kernel of an idea about what it is that you want to teach to your community. Make sure it's something you identify with strongly that leaves you feeling like you can expand your influence through speaking and showing others how to perceive differently. You are becoming the teacher, Scorpio, so build your classroom.
Sagittarius
NOVEMBER 22 — DECEMBER 21
Water is wet, and rocks are hard, Centaurs. As a fire sign you thrive on optimism and enthusiasm to get through life. That's all fine and dandy, but apply some concrete structure to breathe your fire into. Visualize what you want to manifest in your finances, as well as your self-worth. Trust that you have the staying power to plan and see anything through step by step. You're a grown up now, Sagittarius. Trust in the wisdom of your experience.
Capricorn
DECEMBER 22 — JANUARY 19
Sea Goats, you have a slight edge on everyone else because you were born for this. You know firsthand that sometimes it's a deep impulse to succeed that urges you on and, at times, you know it can be a long lonely journey to the top with no one to cheer you on but yourself. In this reinvention of who you are, you get to lead by example. You are an authority on creating something out of nothing. Show the rest of us how it's done!
Aquarius
JANUARY 20 — FEBRUARY 18
Follow the misty trails of your dreams and imagination, Water Bearer. This New Moon taking place in your house of the Unconscious wants you to dedicate your energy to exploring the unseen worlds. There are times we must retreat inward to reconnect with our integrity. Wisdom is knowing that you do not know it all, but being willing to go on a journey to find it. This is just the beginning of your dream journey. Tend to it with care.
Pisces
FEBRUARY 19 — MARCH 20
New friends, new hopes, and wishes are being seeded this New Moon. Know that whatever you commit to is not going to grow overnight or magically appear out of nowhere. This is an all hands on deck long haul effort. If you can face the inevitable twists, turns, failures, and eventual success that will follow you, and the friends you collaborate with will produce something incredible.
What did your horoscope say about your sign this week? Let us know in the comments below.
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These days, it's for a completely different purpose, though. Now that I am in the hopefully latter stages of perimenopause (I’m not sure because my mother had a full hysterectomy at 29, her mother died at 53 and I don’t deal with my paternal grandmother because…chile… ) — although I have always had relatively easy cycles and I could definitely set my watch to them, about two years ago, my periods started to show up whenever they felt like it and it was damn near a crime scene once they did.
It was driving me crazy, and so, my nurse practitioner recommended that I take progestin-only pills to shorten, if not completely stop, my cycle: “After a year or so, we can wean off and see if you are entering into menopause on your own.” (Whew, perimenopause, chile.)
Although the first five months of being on this particular pill made me wonder if it was worth it to take this approach, I actually re-upped for another 12-month cycle because the extra progestin (a synthetic form of progesterone) has benefitted me in other areas as well because I am sleeping more soundly and my weight is more stabilized (by the way, when these things are “off,” they are signs of low progesterone levels). However, I did ask my nurse practitioner if, once I do decide to wean off of the pill, would there be any issues.
Her response is what inspired me to write this article because, until she said “post-birth control syndrome” to me, I had no idea there was such a thing. Anyway, if you give me a sec, I’ll explain to you what it is and why you should care if hormone-related birth control is currently a part of your life.
Yes, Post-Birth Control Syndrome Is a Very Real Thing
GiphyOkay, so it’s important to always remember that the way that birth control works is it “manipulates” your hormones so that you can significantly reduce your chances of conceiving. This means that taking them could result in some side effects including nausea; weight gain; headaches; irregular periods and/or spotting; increased stress; depression; blurry vision; breast tenderness, and/or a lowered libido.
That said, even though birth control pills are basically 99 percent effective (when taken correctly and consistently), if the side effects that you are experiencing are making you close to miserable, you should absolutely share that with your healthcare provider because…what’s the sense in preventing pregnancy when you don’t even feel up to having sex because you don’t feel good or your sex drive is shot? More times than not, your provider can find you another pill brand or option that will help you to feel more like yourself.
With that out of the way, think about it — if going on the pill can produce side effects, why would going off of it…not? And this is where post-birth control syndrome comes in.
For the most part, it’s what can happen to your body once you decide to come off of birth control. Typically, the symptoms will last anywhere between 4-6 months and, although the symptoms seem to present themselves most intensely as it relates to going off of the pill, any hormone-related birth control (like IUDs, injections, patches, the ring or implants) could produce similar outcomes.
Outcomes like what?
- Irregular cycles
- Breakouts
- Excessive gas and/or bloating
- Weight gain
- Anxiety and/or depression
- Fertility issues
- Migraines and/or headaches
- Shifts in your libido
- Sleeplessness/restlessness
- Hair loss
Whoa, right? And if a part of you is wondering, “Okay, if this is indeed the case, why have I not heard of this syndrome before?” It’s because it’s not a term that conventional method uses nearly as much as alternative medicine does. Still, it makes all of the sense in the world that if your body has to adjust to an uptick in hormonal intake, it would also need to adjust to removing those extra doses of hormones from your system as well. COMMON. DAMN. SENSE.
Anyway, if you were thinking about taking a break from birth control and taking all of this in has you feeling a bit…let’s go with the word “trepidatious” about doing so, I totally get it. There are some things that you can do to make experiencing post-birth control syndrome either a non-issue or a far more bearable one, though.
7 Home Remedies That Can Make Coping with Post-Birth Control Syndrome Easier
Giphy1. Take a multivitamin.Something that’s fascinating about what going off of birth control can do is it sometimes has the ability to lower your nutrition levels as it relates to certain vitamins and minerals; this is especially the case when it comes to vitamins B, C, E and minerals like magnesium, selenium and zinc. So, if you don’t currently take a multivitamin, now would be the time to start (along with consuming foods that are particularly high in those nutrients as well).
2. Up your vitamin D intake. Speaking of nutrient levels, a vitamin level that commonly drops after going off of birth control isvitamin D. This is hella critical to keep in mind as a Black woman since many of us tend to be naturally deficient in the vitamin as-is and vitamin D is important when it comes to fighting off diseases, regulating weight and keeping your moods stabilized (for starters). So, make sure that your multivitamin has vitamin D in it. Also make sure to consume vitamin D-enriched foods like fatty fish, eggs, mushrooms, yogurt and fortified orange juice.
3. Drink herbal teas. Since going off of birth control will cause your hormones to be all over the place for a season, consider drinking some herbal teas that will help to stabilize them. Black cohosh contains phytoestrogen properties, Chasteberry can help to level out your prolactin levels and green tea can help your hormones out by helping to balance out your insulin (which can sometimes directly affect them).
4. Keep some ibuprofen nearby. The headaches and migraines? Until those subside, you and ibuprofen are probably going to become really good friends; although I will add that ginger tea and inhaling essential oils like chamomile and lavender can help to ease migraine-related symptoms too.
5. Do some meditating. Waiting for your hormones to get back on track can be stressful as all get out. That said, something that can get your cortisol (stress hormone) levels to chill out is to meditate. If meditation is new for you, check out “7 Meditation Hacks (For People Who Can't Seem To Do It).”
6. Get massages. As if you needed an excuse to get a massage, right (check out “12 Different Massage Types. How To Know Which Is Right For You.”)? However, there is some evidence to back the fact that regular massages (somewhere around once a month) can help to lower your stress, boost your dopamine, increase blood flow and drain your lymphatic system so that you will have more energy.
7. Sleep/rest more. There is plenty of scientific research out here which says that sleep deprivation can throw your hormones out of whack — and since your hormones are already trying to stabilize themselves, you definitely need to get 6-8 hours of sleep and not feel the least bit guilty about taking naps sometimes too.
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Post-birth control syndrome may not be the most pleasant thing about getting off of birth control yet it is manageable. So, now that you know all about it, you can feel more confident about taking a birth control break (or getting off altogether) — without the surprises that can come with doing it. Give thanks.
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