Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsBirth Control and FatigueCausesOther Reasons for FatigueHow to CopeFrequently Asked Questions

Table of ContentsView All

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Table of Contents

Birth Control and Fatigue

Causes

Other Reasons for Fatigue

How to Cope

Frequently Asked Questions

It’s not unusual to feel that takinghormonal birth controlmakes you tired. While there is some evidence that fatigue can be a side effect of oral hormone contraception, tiredness is also a common side effect of many other conditions and medications.

This article will address how hormonal birth control methods may cause fatigue and what to do if you think your birth control is making you sleepy. It will also look at other possible causes of fatigue.

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Tired woman sitting at a computer with hands over her eyes

There is conflicting research on how hormonal contraceptives affect sleep and fatigue.

A 2020 study found that people who used hormonal contraceptives had subjectively worse sleep and more self-reported sleep problems, includinginsomniaand daytime sleepiness, than those who don’t use it.Progestin-only contraceptives appeared to be worse for sleep than combined hormonal birth control.

The authors of this study noted that these results contradict evidence that shows female sex hormones, especiallyprogesterone, have hypnogenic effects (induce sleep). They hypothesized that the timing of taking the pill may play a factor, suggesting that taking it in the morning may lead to daytime sleepiness while taking it at night could promote sleep. They note that this is highly speculative and would need to be studied to confirm.

Another study found that hormonal birth control was associated with improved sleep efficiency and lowered severity ofsleep apnea(a sleep disorder that causes breathing problems during sleep).

Many organizations, including Planned Parenthood and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), do not include fatigue in their lists of commonside effectsof hormonal contraceptives.However, the FDA does mention tiredness as a side effect of emergency contraception (the “morning after pill”).

Types of Hormonal Birth Control

Any type of hormonal birth control can potentially cause fatigue. Types of hormonal contraceptives include:

Progestin vs. ProgesteroneThough the terms sound similar, progestin and progesterone are not the same:Progesterone: A hormone that is made in the ovariesProgestin: A synthetic form of progesterone

Progestin vs. Progesterone

Though the terms sound similar, progestin and progesterone are not the same:Progesterone: A hormone that is made in the ovariesProgestin: A synthetic form of progesterone

Though the terms sound similar, progestin and progesterone are not the same:

How mighthormonal birth controlinduce tiredness?

The use of hormonal birth control may indirectly affect sleep and wakefulness. Though more research is needed, the use of hormonal contraceptives has been associated withdepression. Fatigue is a known symptom of depression.

While the research is conflicting, some people who menstruate report feeling fatigued while on hormonal birth control, but it improved when they stopped taking that specific method.

Are You Prone to Fatigue With Your Period?If you are prone to fatigue during your menstrual cycle, discuss this with your healthcare provider before starting hormonalbirth control.

Are You Prone to Fatigue With Your Period?

If you are prone to fatigue during your menstrual cycle, discuss this with your healthcare provider before starting hormonalbirth control.

There’s no way to tell for sure if you are feeling tired because of the birth control you are taking; however, there may be a few clues that it is the culprit.

Other Causes of Fatigue or Tiredness

Fatigueis a common side effect of a number of conditions, including:

Reasons for Feeling Sleepy All the Time

It’s possible your body will adjust to taking hormonal birth control or to a change in dosage. Once that happens, the tiredness may go away.

Until then, try to get enough sleep, stay hydrated, and eat healthily.

If you are still feeling tired, you may want to talk to your gynecologist about trying a different type of birth control pill or hormonal birth control, or consider switching to anon-hormonal birth controlmethod, such as a diaphragm, cervical cap, copper IUD, or condoms.

How to Switch Hormonal Birth Control MethodsIf you want toswitch birth control pills, talk to your healthcare provider. There are different strategies to choose from, depending on the type of pills you are using.Options for switching between combination pills:Finish the entire pack, including the fourth-week placebos, from your old method. Start the pack of the new method on the day you would have started the first day of the old pack. Or,Start the new combination pill right away, but if it has been more than five days since menstrual bleeding started, use a backup method (such as a condom) or abstain from sex for the next seven days.Switching from combination pills to mini-pill:Take your mini-pill immediately, abstain from sex, or use a backup method for the next two days if it has been more than five days since you experienced menstrual bleeding.Switching from mini-pill to combination pill:Start the combination pill right away, but if it has been more than five days since you have had menstrual bleeding, abstain from sex or use a backup method (such as a condom) for the next seven days.

How to Switch Hormonal Birth Control Methods

If you want toswitch birth control pills, talk to your healthcare provider. There are different strategies to choose from, depending on the type of pills you are using.Options for switching between combination pills:Finish the entire pack, including the fourth-week placebos, from your old method. Start the pack of the new method on the day you would have started the first day of the old pack. Or,Start the new combination pill right away, but if it has been more than five days since menstrual bleeding started, use a backup method (such as a condom) or abstain from sex for the next seven days.Switching from combination pills to mini-pill:Take your mini-pill immediately, abstain from sex, or use a backup method for the next two days if it has been more than five days since you experienced menstrual bleeding.Switching from mini-pill to combination pill:Start the combination pill right away, but if it has been more than five days since you have had menstrual bleeding, abstain from sex or use a backup method (such as a condom) for the next seven days.

If you want toswitch birth control pills, talk to your healthcare provider. There are different strategies to choose from, depending on the type of pills you are using.

Options for switching between combination pills:

Switching from combination pills to mini-pill:

Take your mini-pill immediately, abstain from sex, or use a backup method for the next two days if it has been more than five days since you experienced menstrual bleeding.

Switching from mini-pill to combination pill:

Start the combination pill right away, but if it has been more than five days since you have had menstrual bleeding, abstain from sex or use a backup method (such as a condom) for the next seven days.

Summary

You may feel tiredness or fatigue while taking hormonal birth control, but research is conflicting about whether hormonal contraceptives are the cause of fatigue. Potential factors for pill-related tiredness include sleep disruption, association with depression, and the sleep-inducing effects of sex hormones, such as progesterone.

However, fatigue can be a symptom of many other conditions, including PMS, anemia, hypothyroidism, depression, and sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea.

If you feel your birth control is making you feel tired, talk to your healthcare provider about other available options. Regardless of whether or not you are taking hormonal birth control, it’s important to speak with your healthcare provider if you are experiencing fatigue in case it is a symptom of something more serious.

Some common side effects of hormonal birth control include:Spotting/bleeding between periodsBreast tendernessNauseaHeadache

Some common side effects of hormonal birth control include:

12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bezerra AG, Andersen ML, Pires GN, et al.Hormonal contraceptive use and subjective sleep reports in women: An online survey.J Sleep Res. 2020;29(6). doi:10.1111/jsr.12983Hachul H, Andersen ML, Bittencourt L, Santos-Silva R, Tufik S.A population-based survey on the influence of the menstrual cycle and the use of hormonal contraceptives on sleep patterns in São Paulo, Brazil.International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics. 2013;120(2):137-140. doi:10.1016/j.ijgo.2012.08.020Planned Parenthood.What are the side effects of the birth control pill?U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Birth control.MedlinePlus.Progestin-only (norethindrone) oral contraceptives.Planned Parenthood.Birth control.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Progestin-only hormonal birth control: Pill and injection.Bezerra AG, Andersen ML, Pires GN, Tufik S, Hachul H.Effects of hormonal contraceptives on sleep - a possible treatment for insomnia in premenopausal women.Sleep Science. 2018;11(3):129-136. doi:10.5935/1984-0063.20180025National Health Service.Sleep and tiredness.Skovlund CW, Mørch LS, Kessing LV, Lidegaard Ø.Association of hormonal contraception with depression.JAMA Psychiatry. 2016;73(11):1154. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.2387Alspaugh A, Reibel MD, Im EO, Barroso J.“Since I’m a little bit more mature”: contraception and the arc of time for women in midlife.Womens' Midlife Health. 2021;7(1):3. doi:10.1186/s40695-021-00062-7National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).

12 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bezerra AG, Andersen ML, Pires GN, et al.Hormonal contraceptive use and subjective sleep reports in women: An online survey.J Sleep Res. 2020;29(6). doi:10.1111/jsr.12983Hachul H, Andersen ML, Bittencourt L, Santos-Silva R, Tufik S.A population-based survey on the influence of the menstrual cycle and the use of hormonal contraceptives on sleep patterns in São Paulo, Brazil.International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics. 2013;120(2):137-140. doi:10.1016/j.ijgo.2012.08.020Planned Parenthood.What are the side effects of the birth control pill?U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Birth control.MedlinePlus.Progestin-only (norethindrone) oral contraceptives.Planned Parenthood.Birth control.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Progestin-only hormonal birth control: Pill and injection.Bezerra AG, Andersen ML, Pires GN, Tufik S, Hachul H.Effects of hormonal contraceptives on sleep - a possible treatment for insomnia in premenopausal women.Sleep Science. 2018;11(3):129-136. doi:10.5935/1984-0063.20180025National Health Service.Sleep and tiredness.Skovlund CW, Mørch LS, Kessing LV, Lidegaard Ø.Association of hormonal contraception with depression.JAMA Psychiatry. 2016;73(11):1154. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.2387Alspaugh A, Reibel MD, Im EO, Barroso J.“Since I’m a little bit more mature”: contraception and the arc of time for women in midlife.Womens' Midlife Health. 2021;7(1):3. doi:10.1186/s40695-021-00062-7National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Bezerra AG, Andersen ML, Pires GN, et al.Hormonal contraceptive use and subjective sleep reports in women: An online survey.J Sleep Res. 2020;29(6). doi:10.1111/jsr.12983Hachul H, Andersen ML, Bittencourt L, Santos-Silva R, Tufik S.A population-based survey on the influence of the menstrual cycle and the use of hormonal contraceptives on sleep patterns in São Paulo, Brazil.International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics. 2013;120(2):137-140. doi:10.1016/j.ijgo.2012.08.020Planned Parenthood.What are the side effects of the birth control pill?U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Birth control.MedlinePlus.Progestin-only (norethindrone) oral contraceptives.Planned Parenthood.Birth control.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Progestin-only hormonal birth control: Pill and injection.Bezerra AG, Andersen ML, Pires GN, Tufik S, Hachul H.Effects of hormonal contraceptives on sleep - a possible treatment for insomnia in premenopausal women.Sleep Science. 2018;11(3):129-136. doi:10.5935/1984-0063.20180025National Health Service.Sleep and tiredness.Skovlund CW, Mørch LS, Kessing LV, Lidegaard Ø.Association of hormonal contraception with depression.JAMA Psychiatry. 2016;73(11):1154. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.2387Alspaugh A, Reibel MD, Im EO, Barroso J.“Since I’m a little bit more mature”: contraception and the arc of time for women in midlife.Womens' Midlife Health. 2021;7(1):3. doi:10.1186/s40695-021-00062-7National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).

Bezerra AG, Andersen ML, Pires GN, et al.Hormonal contraceptive use and subjective sleep reports in women: An online survey.J Sleep Res. 2020;29(6). doi:10.1111/jsr.12983

Hachul H, Andersen ML, Bittencourt L, Santos-Silva R, Tufik S.A population-based survey on the influence of the menstrual cycle and the use of hormonal contraceptives on sleep patterns in São Paulo, Brazil.International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics. 2013;120(2):137-140. doi:10.1016/j.ijgo.2012.08.020

Planned Parenthood.What are the side effects of the birth control pill?

U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Birth control.

MedlinePlus.Progestin-only (norethindrone) oral contraceptives.

Planned Parenthood.Birth control.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Progestin-only hormonal birth control: Pill and injection.

Bezerra AG, Andersen ML, Pires GN, Tufik S, Hachul H.Effects of hormonal contraceptives on sleep - a possible treatment for insomnia in premenopausal women.Sleep Science. 2018;11(3):129-136. doi:10.5935/1984-0063.20180025

National Health Service.Sleep and tiredness.

Skovlund CW, Mørch LS, Kessing LV, Lidegaard Ø.Association of hormonal contraception with depression.JAMA Psychiatry. 2016;73(11):1154. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.2387

Alspaugh A, Reibel MD, Im EO, Barroso J.“Since I’m a little bit more mature”: contraception and the arc of time for women in midlife.Womens' Midlife Health. 2021;7(1):3. doi:10.1186/s40695-021-00062-7

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).

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