The PBCS Protocol: Supplements

Supplements are a great way to fill in nutritional gaps where diet (and lifestyle factors) are lacking. When it comes to hormonal birth control, so many nutrients are depleted by extended use of the pill, so supplements are a must for the PBCS protocol.

With that said, my intention isn’t to load you up with a dozen different pills to swallow everyday! Supplements can be expensive, so below you’ll find information about the most crucial ones to begin to rebalance post-birth-control nutrient deficiencies.

Cod Liver Oil

Cod Liver Oil is one of my favourite hormone balancing supplements. It’s an amazing source of vitamin A and D, two nutrients that are essential for healthy hormone levels, and anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids.

Although cod liver oil can be daunting to many (nobody likes a fishy burp), there are some great flavourless options out there, including handy dandy capsule forms.

My Brand Recommendations: Nordic Naturals or Carlson Fish Oil Capsules.

A Multivitamin or Prenatal

Multivitamins (or prenatal vitamins, if you’re of reproductive age) are great for filling in any nutritional gaps in the diet. However, not all multivitamins are created equally.

When looking for a good-quality multivitamin, make sure to buy one that contains the methylated versions of B9 (L-5-MTHF the naturally occurring, universally metabolized form of folate) and B12 (methylcobalamin). Since 40% of the human population is unable to perform methylation properly, buying supplements containing methylated B vitamins ensures you’re getting the active, most absorbable form.

My Brand Recommendations: MegaFood Baby and Me 2 Doctor Formulated Prenatal Vitamin, MegaFood Multi for Women Doctor Formulated Multivitamin, and CanPrev Synergy B Complex with L-Theanine (not a multivitamin, but a great addition to your supplement regime)

Probiotics

I dedicated a full lesson of this course to the importance of gut health for hormone imbalance, so I think I’ve made it pretty clear why having a healthy gut is key for rebalancing the endocrine system and reversing the side effects of the hormonal birth control pill.

Taking daily probiotics is one of the best ways to ensure your gut flora is as healthy and diverse as possible. Although probiotic supplements can’t repopulate your gut with beneficial bacteria for good, if you take it daily, the probiotics moving through the gut will begin to crowd out the pathogenic bacteria and diversify the good gut bugs.

My Brand Recommendations: The Cultured Coconut “Nature’s Finest Probiotic” Liquid Supplement, and Seed Daily Synbiotic (contains both pro- and prebiotics).

For an overview of recommended supplements, click here to download the PBCS Supplement Protocol PDF.

Note: This section of the protocol includes a fillable section so you can make notes about which supplements are right for you.