When people think about estrogen, they usually think about how much of the hormone their body produces. But the other side of this story is how well your body processes and clears estrogen once it's been used. This process, called estrogen metabolism, is just as important as estrogen production itself. One of the body's most important tools for processing estrogen is methylation, a biochemical process supported by the MTHFR gene. MTHFR and hormones are linked.

Sex hormones influence your energy, sleep, motivation and drive. Estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone are all big factors in how you feel on a daily basis.

Methylation is a very small, foundational chemical function in your body. It involves the moving of a methyl group, which is a carbon with three hydrogens that you can picture a lot like a Mickey Mouse head with an extra ear (shudder).

Understanding fatigue means understanding what gives you the feeling of having energy in the first place.

Naturally, MTHFR and birth control pills interact. It's not like this is an easy mutation to live with in other senses; why would it leave our contraceptive options untouched? Complaining aside, I could have saved myself years of miserable experiences with the pill if I had known this when I was in University.