8 Things That May Happen When You Quit The Pill

From hair loss to horniness, here’s what to watch out for after you break up with your birth control.

- Kathleen Mulpeter

1 Your boobs might feel different

Think back to your pre-pill days: Did you experience breast tenderness around the time you ovulated? Soreness can be a side effect of a spike in the hormone progesterone. The pill, which keeps your hormones steady, likely made that pain go away—and there’s a good chance it will come back now. Meanwhile, other women may finally get relief from achy breasts, says Guirlaine Agnant, MD, a gynecologist at Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital in New York, since soreness can also be a side effect of the pill.

2 Your period could change

Oral contraceptives suppress ovulation, which means they “typically lighten periods and decrease pain associated with them,” says Neha Bhardwaj, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. Once you’re back to your unfettered cycle, your flow might be less predictable (think heavier and longer), and PMS symptoms that you may have had before could return in full force (ugh).