Ladies - using birth control to stop your period - safe?

Options
LaurenAOK
LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
in Chit-Chat
First of all, since I put "ladies" in the title, I'm sure this thread is now full of men. Hi men :happy:

I'm sure there will be people who tell me I'm stupid for even asking this but I just wanted to give it a shot and see. I am in a long distance relationship and will be seeing my boyfriend next month. Unfortunately, the dates will coincide with my TOM :angry: While this isn't a total "dealbreaker", I'd really prefer to not have to deal with it.

I read online a lot of women who said they were supposed to get their period on their wedding day and used birth control to stop that from happening. I am currently on birth control pills. What I've read online said that if you just skip the "inactive" pills and start your new pills right away, you won't get a period (maybe a little spotting). This makes sense because, as anyone on BC knows, when you take your inactive pills you get your period. My concern is whether or not this is actually safe for your body? Would doing this for one month cause any harm or possibly even reduce the effectiveness of the pills? My health is my number one priority. I'd love to skip TOM if possible, but it seems too good to be true.

If anyone has any information on this, based on personal experience or medical knowledge, I would really appreciate it!
«1

Replies

  • WDEvy
    WDEvy Posts: 814 Member
    Options
    Verify with your doctor, I'm guessing it depends on the pill. I've been doing it with Marvellon for almost 10 years ( I stop it 4 times a year) with no side effects.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Options
    Yes, it's safe. Especially if it's just a one time deal. I've done it for months on end with no problems.
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
    Options
    Passing this info from my GF, who is taking it straight through on a regular basis.:

    Totally okay. The pill was originally designed to be taken this way. The off week to simulate a "period" (it is not a true period) was added because women felt weird not having a period when it initially came out.

    ETA: this information was passed to her by her gyno
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    Options
    Wow, this is awesome news and totally not what I was expecting :happy: Thank you all!
  • taiyola
    taiyola Posts: 964 Member
    Options
    I've had the Depo injection for nearly 3 years (started September 2010) and have not had a period since.

    It's not dangerous to not have periods. The Depo can raise your risks of Osteoporosis, however. I've never had any issues. I used to mess up my days with the pill (Mycrogynon) all the time.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
    Options
    Mini pill pretty much stops it entirely, with just some light spotting. (Cerazette etc). On that pill, it's the way it's supposed to be taken.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Options
    I do it sometimes, for my wedding, holidays etc... I wouldn't recommend it every month as it is messing with your hormones, but once in a while won't do too much harm!
  • Smilejenta
    Smilejenta Posts: 27 Member
    Options
    It's safe. I am on Yasmin for 6 months at a time. It helps for more then birth controll. It might hurt a bit more when you go off them again though.
  • Faye_Anderson
    Faye_Anderson Posts: 1,495 Member
    Options
    My doctor prescribed Norethisterone to stop mine while I was on holiday, they worked until 2 days after I stopped taking them
  • martymum
    martymum Posts: 413 Member
    Options
    I did it for years...the stopped to have 2 healthy children...now on mini pill ...cerazette...not had a period since 2002!!

    martyxx
  • BorntoROAR
    BorntoROAR Posts: 91 Member
    Options
    I'm not a doctor, but I'm a Women's Health Nurse practitioner, and I'm here to say, it is TOTALLY okay and healthy to do that!

    As a matter of fact, some women prefer to do this the entire year through, which is totally fine. It will just cost you more money because you will end up purchasing more pill packs than if you were to take a week off from every month. To be honest, when you have your period on the pill every month, it's really just a "withdrawal" bleed and not a real period. (bleeding from withdrawal of the hormone progesterone).
  • Fayve
    Fayve Posts: 411 Member
    Options
    Yes, I asked my gynecologist about this in particular. She said the balance of hormones makes it perfectly safe to not have a period. Although you can often experience spotting, which does happen to me if I skip it for a while.
  • hungryhobbit1
    hungryhobbit1 Posts: 259 Member
    Options
    I did this for years with no ill effects, and loved it. (Found it easier to maintain my weight, too, but that's just me.) If I weren't 40 now and pushing the limit for cardiovascular side effects I'd go back on it.
  • running_free_1984
    running_free_1984 Posts: 115 Member
    Options
    Progesterone only pills don't allow periods and there aren't any breaks, you just take them continuously. I was using them after i had my second child and was still breast feeding.

    They were effective when i needed them, but i no longer use birth control that involves taking any additional hormones.
  • frando
    frando Posts: 583 Member
    Options
    Although I've not used pills I know a few friends that do/have- I'm on the arm implant so no particular control over things!

    Anyway, I've known you can skip the odd one, ie one or two a year, without any great harm. One close friend decided to go as long as possible with out one aaaaand it ended with a hospital visit this was near on ten years ago so I can't remember specifically the result but it was due to her skipping her periods

    In your situation I would o-o

    Hope this helps ^^
  • Bucky83
    Bucky83 Posts: 1,194 Member
    Options
    I actually do this quite often as I get severe cramping and back pain when I do get my period. It's awesome!!!

    I hate travelling overseas with a period, so I always skip when I'm overseas if I can time it correctly with the time zone changes. I just got back from 2 and a half weeks in Spain (I live in Australia) and timed it just right so that I didn't have to stress about getting my period.

    I'm on microgynon and haven't had an issue, though I do occasionally spot when it's TOM.
  • beckytcy
    beckytcy Posts: 135 Member
    Options
    Bringing back this old thread to ask if anyone else has had experience with this. I know it's safe to do because my doctor said so but i just worry about potential side effects. Specifically I am on the generic of Yasmin (ocella or zarah depending on the pharmacy). Might skipping the placebo pills cause me to gain weight or get moody? Sometimes at the end of my active pills (3 or 4 days before my withdrawal bleed) I feel grumpy and emotional. I also get hungrier during this time. Would this continue if I skip the placebos and just start a new pack? Thanks for your feedback.
  • jchap389
    jchap389 Posts: 54
    Options
    My doctor has always told me that it was safe but you should allow a period about every 3 months. Then again, I am also on a low dose hormone BC so it might be different depending on the dosage and pill you are taking.
  • beckytcy
    beckytcy Posts: 135 Member
    Options
    Thanks. Yes I plan to allow a period every three months. Have you noticed any changes to mood or appetite as a result of skipping periods?
  • jchap389
    jchap389 Posts: 54
    Options
    Nope:) Aside from not having a period, everything remains the same. I have never really even spotted or anything in between.

Categories