Most people know that using hormonal contraceptives leads to shorter periods and more manageable symptoms, such as less cramping. You don’t actually need a period at all if you’re on hormonal contraceptives.
In a typical 28-day pack, the last 7 pills, effectively placebo pills, are hormone-free. (It may contain iron, but iron is lost from the body through bleeding.) However, if you immediately switch to a new hormone pill pack instead, you usually won’t bleed at all. Basically, you can opt out of your period.and many women I am doing just that.
Why Some People Say It’s Great Not to Have a Period
Sarah Joseph who runs the website Inquiries from parents The St. Louis resident told Yahoo Life she learned about the strategy from a friend and that her doctor gave her the green light to opt out. For the last three years she has been skipping her periods regularly.
“It improved my life,” she says. “Not only does it help me save money on monthly feminine protection products, but I also don’t have to worry about mood swings or other side effects of my menstrual cycle. It’s easier to control.”
Gail Sidemana Milwaukee-area spokesperson says she made the same decision to avoid the “debilitating” headaches and irregular periods that accompany her cycle. That experience meant “freedom” for years.
“I would recommend taking the pill continuously as the pain and cramps are gone,” she says.
Gillian AmodioA sex educator and social worker in Annapolis, Maryland, she started birth control when she was 14. She had a severe impact on her quality of life and her ability to function at her school.
Amodio was later was diagnosed with endometriosisa condition in which endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus and can cause extreme pain — something that hormonal contraceptives can help with.
Los Angeles resident Ashton (who asked to keep her last name confidential) said her period was characterized by swollen joints, fever, severe back pain, headache, vomiting, painful bowel movements and gas, fatigue, and difficulty breathing.
“This caused so much pain that I often missed work, school, outings with friends, and was stuck in bed wearing sweatpants, thick pads, back heating pads, and Midol,” she told Yahoo. tells Life.
She had already been on birth control for four years, but her OB/GYN recommended continuous birth control so she could skip her period and feel a little better. Ashton, who was diagnosed with endometriosis, said that now that she’s in her 30s, she’s benefited greatly from not having her cramps.
“Don’t worry if it’s random or if it’s going to start. I’ve been skipping it for so long that I probably only had a day or two, maybe four or five,” she said. say. stock. “I personally don’t see a downside to skipping, but I think for some people the downside is that they don’t know if they’re pregnant. [that they] Rely on their duration as confirmation. ”
Is it safe to skip my period?
according to Dr. Jennifer Weider, women’s health expert, There is no medical reason why you should get your period while on hormonal birth control.
“If a woman is not using contraception, her hormone levels fluctuate during her menstrual cycle or natural period, causing the endometrium to thicken and prepare for a potential pregnancy,” she told Yahoo Life. Without pregnancy or implantation, the lining drains with blood and menstruation occurs.In women on contraception, the endometrium or endometrium does not thicken and the body prepares for a possible pregnancy. you can’t.”
Weider explains that when placebo pills are used for birth control, the hormone drop causes bleeding. “The lining is soft enough to bleed a little,” she says. “Blood does not contain thickened uterine tissue.”
Dr. Stacey Tanouye, OB-GYNs say skipping the placebo week and going straight to the next pack of hormones can be done “indefinitely” for many. . “Birth control pills work by maintaining a thin lining and preventing it from building up,” so they’re safe.
What are the advantages?
Experts say missing your period every month has several benefits. ovarian cancer“Continuous birth control is a treatment for things like PMS, PMDD, and menstrual migraines because it can significantly reduce the hormonal triggers that lead to these conditions,” Tanouye explains. “It’s also helpful for people who have heavy or painful periods for whatever reason, avoiding bad periods all together.”
Period pain can also affect school and work attendance. Dr. Sophia Yenco-founder and CEO of Contraceptive Delivery Service, pandia healthtold Yahoo Life:
There is also the cost of period products.This is a problem known as “period poverty”, especially for economically disadvantaged people, as they often have to live without them. study Published in Journal of Global Health Report By 2022, “two-thirds of the 16.9 million low-income women in the United States could not afford menstrual products in the past year,” and half of them had to choose between menstrual products and food. there was.
“All these menstrual products cost money,” Yen says, just as there is also the economic impact of “taking time off from school and work.”
This decision has other advantages as well. Many menstrual products are bad for the environment by increasing plastic waste, Yen pointed out. I am using it,” he points out.
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