The Nookie Know-It-All: Low Tide For The Crimson Wave
Posted by: Sexpert Lindsay
Filed in:
sex
9:00AM, Wednesday May 28th 2008
“I’ve heard about the various birth control pills that you can take to go without your period for a few months and longer. Are they really safe and recommended?”—Banning Aunt Flo, via email
Have you seen that SNL skit (clip after the jump!), where the women are going ape sh*t because they haven’t had their period in months? I have, and I have to say it scared that crap out of me.
However, the inconvenience my regular period has on my sex life makes me think that nothing could be as bad as those seven days each month. Most OBGYNs out there seem to agree that extended-cycle birth control pills are just as safe as traditional birth control pills, and may even DECREASE your risk for uterine and breast cancer. But it’s not like regular birth control pills come without risks, and if you’re on them ALL THE TIME you’re at an increased risk for heart attacks, blood clots, and stroke (especially if you smoke). Also, there’s the argument that it’s just not “natural” to not get your period.
However, for some women with health conditions worsened by getting their periods (such as endometriosis or anemia), these pills are god-sends. There’s also tons of women on pills such as Seasonale and Seasonique (which allow you to get your period only four times a year) who experience no side effects more serious than spotting (which, I have to say, would really annoy me.)
All in all, the benefits of taking extended-cycle pills (less $$ spent on tampons) seem to outweigh the risks. However, since the pills are so new, nobody really knows what the long-term effects might be, so be sure to also ask your doctor.
If you have any of these symptoms, make an appt. with a doctor. Just like any other addiction, it’s something that requires attention and treatment.
Got a burning question for our amazingly wise Nookie Know-It-All? Email it to sexpert@thefrisky.com. Don’t worry, we’ll keep your deets between us.
A Note On Playing It Safe: The Frisky thinks safe sex is smart sex - so please practice it in the way that’s right for your relationship.
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Go-To Girl
wrote on May 28 2008 @ 12:35 pm: [report]
Yikes! These pills terrify me. Not only is it not “natural” to suppress your period (and menstruation is not a “disease” that requires “treatment”), I would imagine common pill side effects (loss of sex drive, depression, moodiness, vaginal dryness, general misery) would be that much WORSE when you’re taking hormones nonstop for 12 months. Not everyone experiences those side effects when using hormonal contraception, but in my experience if you have those effects on one method, you have them on them all.
IMHO, any drug that interferes with my sex drive is completely intolerable. Go ParaGard!
Lindsay A.
wrote on May 29 2008 @ 12:27 pm: [report]
I personally wouldn’t take any of these seasonal period pills. They creep me out. Some women get pregnant on the pill (I’ve seen it happen)...so I’d be worried I’d be pregnant and not know it until after a few months (my beer belly would disguise it for awhile).
Amelia
wrote on May 29 2008 @ 12:46 pm: [report]
I’m not down with them either. Not to sound like a hippie but it seems weird not to shed the ol’ endometrial lining every month.
LovesIt
wrote on May 29 2008 @ 12:50 pm: [report]
@Amelia. Seriously! I just imagine it getting all old and gross… and then getting knocked up and having to grow a baby in a womb that’s way past its expiration date. Not cool.
So sly
wrote on June 26 2008 @ 11:05 am: [report]
I tried skipping a few periods by not taking my placebo pills and starting the new packs in rapid succession. Well for 2 months it was great but then the breakthrough bleeding kicked in and it was the same as having a period. So I think it is ok to skip a period or two like for special occasions, but for more than that it really doesn’t work for me.
michael
wrote on July 23 2008 @ 05:33 am: [report]
i have heard…
that it is more healthy, because you avoid all the stress and trauma to your vagina by skipping a period. And they also say that a vagina wasn’t meant to have so many periods in a life time, because most women are either preggers, or breast feeding. Both stop your normal cycle, so… idk
Catherine
wrote on September 12 2008 @ 10:31 pm: [report]
I’m actually on Seasonale. My doctor switched me because I had started getting seriously horrible menstrual cramps again which she said was probably (most commonly, I guess) endometriosis (which actually affects 1 in 3 women!). Like, I actually dropped one of my classes once because I was too busy curled up in a ball on the floor writhing in pain and crying like a wreck for 6 hours instead of writing a very important paper. I’ve had breakthrough bleeding only twice since I started, but really, most women get that starting out and you just stop the stuff for a week in the middle and then start again. So… I guess then you’d get your period 4 times during your first 6 months, but it’s still better than 6. Overall the stuff works great for me. I had no significant side effects with regular birth control either, and I barely get cramps anymore. Also, knowing that massive scar tissue isn’t building up around my ovaries and uterus so I am much less likely to be infertile when I finally do try and become pregnant really makes me feel a lot better about myself.
I think it really depends so much on your own body chemistry. I’ve been on BC for two years and neither type of the pill I tried made me crazy, depressed, lessened my sex drive… I neither gained weight or lost weight, nor did I experience any change in how much acne I had (though, I had practically none to begin with). Instead, I got a predictable period that lasts now for 3 days instead of 11 and comes every 91 days instead of sometime anywhere in the range of 26 to 91 days. And of course, I get to have sex with my boyfriend knowing that I won’t end up pregnant. The only thing is that I get crazy emotional right before I get my period… but seeing as most women PMS whether they’re on or off the pill, I hardly see that as a huge problem.
Also, I would just like to note that being on a hormonal birth control pill means that your uterus simply doesn’t build up as much of an endometrial lining so there’s really just not that much of it to shed. This is probably TMI, but I really do just get by on nothing but pantiliners now. -.o