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One of the biggest birth control stories in the media these days is the new "no periods" pill, Lybrel. Though doctors have been using the pill to suppress periods in some of their patients for years, this pill is the first one to be marketed expressly for that purpose (and, of course, for contraception). We've been moving this way for some time now--first came 24/4 pills, with only four placebo days, that leads to fewer bleeding days for many women. Next was Seasonale, which gives many women only four periods a year. Other methods (such as the Depo-Provera injection and the Mirena intrauterine device) have high rates of no-periods among their users. But the media seems to be viewing Lybrel as a gigantic leap away from the norm, and I'm getting more calls about this one pill than about any pill in the past.
What's fascinating to me is the amount of emotion that monthly bleeding seems to arouse in everyone. I've heard women angrily state that it's "not normal" to skip your period, and "not healthy" to not bleed every month. And there's a disturbing underlying theme to many of these media pieces, that without monthly bleeding, you're not really a woman, or that you're trying to be a man--which, as we all know, is insane and medieval (who wants to be a man?). I hope this doesn't upset you pill-taking readers, but the bleeding that occurs when you're using the pill isn't a real period, whether it happens every month or every three months. It's what doctors call "withdrawal bleeding," meaning it's your body's response to the sudden drop in hormone levels during the placebo days. There's nothing unhealthy about occasionally (or regularly) skipping your period while taking the birth control pill. When this happens, the lining of your uterus isn't building up, and doesn't need to shed...you're not going to have some mega-period at some point to make up for lost time. Not having your period while you're on the pill is a totally different situation than not having a period when you're not on any hormones at all. If you're not on the pill, not having periods at all (or very infrequently) can be a sign of a medical problem, and is something you should see your gyno about. Some women like the monthly reassurance, when they bleed, that they're not pregnant. That's totally valid, though if you want reassurance without the need for tampons, there are other ways to tell (read about checking your basal body temperature). So we don't really need to bleed. And while I think no one really enjoys bleeding each month, some women are truly disabled by their bleeding. At the risk of being too graphic, some of our sisters bleed through tampon/pad combos, through clothes, and through bed sheets, and they might be overjoyed at giving up this aspect of their "femininity." Bottom line with Lybrel? More contraceptive choices are good for everyone--we all need different things at different times in our lives. If you're happy with your current birth control method, by all means, stick with what works. But if you're looking for a new method, or are someone who is incapacitated by their bleeding each month, Lybrel may be a good option for you. What do you think about your periods--would you miss them if they were gone? 6 CommentsLeave a comment |
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Another point often missed is that in societies where women have more children, they have less periods. Western society women have more periods then their tribal counterparts. Having less periods doesn't make you less of a woman, if anything it makes you more in touch with your natural side.
I am in australia and I dont think it has been approved here yet. I currently skip my period 2 out of every 3 months on my current pill because I am one of those woman who have enormous amounts of pain when I am bleeding. I always believed that missing my period for more than 3 months was dangerous. If its not so then I could cheerfully never have one again!
I started taking Lybrel a few months ago after spending the summer in almost complete frustration and agony. It seemed that every out of town trip I planned would coincide with the kind of monstrous period you describe above.
After about 4 mos. of taking Lybrel I stopped having breakthrough bleeding, the annoying premenstrual symptoms stopped right away, and now I can have sex outdoors without having to worry about getting sand in my diaphragm. Talk about your natural side!
It's important to remember that not everyone works on the 28-day period.... it's not like my uterus is in sync with the phases of the moon. I talked about it with my gyno, and he said it's perfectly normal whether you have periods every 3 weeks or every 6 weeks. Right?
It's true that not all women bleed on a 28 day cycle. Normal cycle lengths are considered to be between 21 and 35 days in adults (and 21 to 45 days in young teens and perimenopausal women). Our cycles can also vary throughout the year - not everyone has a predictable period.
Thank you for this. I had not heard of Lybrel before, but the Seasonale and its generics were life savers.
I have been on the pill about 9 years now, and at least once every year I would have what I now know was light breakthrough bleeding - very light brown, but it would go on for weeks and weeks, with only a few days of no bleeding. Then months would go by when I was "normal" and had the regular "pill period." This off and on bleeding necessitated many trips to the doctor, and multiple internal exams each year. Each time, I was told I likely had a fungus, and given a nasty anti-fungal prescription (a white pill that started dissolving as soon as I put it in my mouth). I would finish my nasty Rx, the brown would stop, until the next time.
I finally changed doctors (due to insurance changes) and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. This new (male!) doctor told me the regular pills were likely not a strong enough dose of hormones, and I wasn't able to fully shed the lining of the uterus, which resulted in "old, brown blood" continually discharging. He gave me a sample of the Seasonale (which was a full 3 month pack), and told me to see how I liked it for 3 months, and call for a refill if all went well.
Switching to Seasonale was a fantastic solution to a problem that plagued me constantly for 7 of my 9 years on the pill. I have now been using it for over a year, and I only have 3 or 4 days of bleeding on my scheduled placebo week. My regular period would be 9 or so days, and guessing when it would start would be an irregular crapshoot of 30+ days. I am so much happier.