Sexuality Stack Exchange Archive

Is it possible to avoid menstrual bleeding with hormonal birth control pills?

• posted by: Zrajm C Akfohg on 2012-01-16
• tagged: birth-control, menstrual-cycle, women
• score: 3

I’ve heard it said that when hormonal contraceptive pills were originally developed/tested they suppressed the monthly bleeding completely, but that the test subjects didn’t like this, and the sugar pills were added to cause a monthly “artificial bleeding”.

This leads me to ask:

• Does the menstrual fluid of a woman on the pill contain the same stuff as the menstrual fluid of a woman who is not taking contraceptives?
• How safe would it be to always skip past the sugar pills, and thereby never have to experience menstrual bleeding again?
• And, finally, is there something to the above story?

Answer 130

• posted by: beth on 2012-01-16
• score: 2

Skipping the placebo pills and immediately beginning the next month's pills is likely to prevent menstruation. If this is done continuously, one using this method may experience spotting or breakthrough menstruation eventually. As for the safety of such a method, it's generally considered safe for most women for short-term use, however, none of this general information constitutes medical advice.

I myself have postponed or skipped one and sometimes two menstrual periods by skipping the last few pills of a blister pack, with no noticeable ill effect. At the time I was using Ortho Tri-Cyclen and was in my early twenties.

Articles on PubMed that deal with this topic:

1. Gold MA, Duffy K. Extended cycling or continuous use of hormonal contraceptives for female adolescents. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2009 Oct;21(5):407-11. Review. PubMed PMID: 19528798.
2. Kuhl H, Birkhäuser M, Mueck A, Neulen J, Thaler C, Kiesel L, Braendle W. [Long-cycle treatment in oral contraception]. Ther Umsch. 2009 Feb;66(2):101-8. Review. German. PubMed PMID: 19180430.
3. Hitchcock CL. Elements of the menstrual suppression debate. Health Care Women Int. 2008 Aug;29(7):702-19. Review. PubMed PMID: 18663630.

Answer 134

• posted by: Yamikuronue on 2012-01-16
• score: 1

My gynecologist tells me there’s no reason skipping periods would be harmful, though the more you skip the more likely breakthrough bleeding is to occur. She recommended skipping the “rest period” between rings (I use the NuvaRing rather than the pill) for women who have significantly uncomfortable periods. The literature I was given from the clinic indicates this is common advice in the field, as well.

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