How Will My Birth Control Affect My Bleeding
Birth control methods such as the pill, patch, vaginal ring, shot and IUD can all impact your menstrual bleeding. Some birth control methods can increase bleeding, and some can decrease it. Many aspects of bleeding can be affected, and these effects can change over time. Periods can be longer, shorter, heavier, or lighter, depending on the method of birth control. Spotting and irregular bleeding are common side effects of most methods of hormonal birth control, especially in the first few months of use.
Birth control pills
Birth control pills were originally only packaged as 28 pills 21 pills containing the hormone required to suppress ovulation, and 7 placebo pills . The 7 days of placebo were designed to allow menstruation to occur. Today there are a variety of regimens available, such as 24 days of active-ingredient pills and 4 days of placebo, and extended-cycle regimens that can be taken for up to a year to stop all menstrual bleeding.
Injected and implanted contraceptives
Irregular, unpredictable bleeding is very common in women using long-acting, progestin-based birth control methods . After a year of use, about half of women will have no periods.
Intrauterine devices
Vaginal ring
Emergency contraceptives
Emergency contraception is not to be used as a regular method of birth control but, if needed, it can help prevent unplanned pregnancies.
How Well Does It Work
Over the course of 1 year, about 9 out of 100 typical couples who rely on the Pill to prevent pregnancy will have an accidental pregnancy. Of course, this is an average figure and the chance of getting pregnant depends on whether you take your birth control pills every day. The Pill is an effective form of birth control, but even missing 1 day increases the chance of getting pregnant.
In general, how well each type of birth control method works depends on a lot of things. These include whether a person has any health conditions or is taking any medicines or herbal supplements that might interfere with its use . Talk to your doctor to check if anything you take could affect how the Pill works for you.
How well a particular method of birth control works also depends on whether the method chosen is convenient and whether the person remembers to use it correctly all the time.
Questions To Ask Your Doctor
- How can I know which birth control pill is best for me?
- If I take progestin-only birth control pills, am I less likely to gain weight as a side effect?
- Is one birth control pill more effective than another at preventing pregnancy?
- Does one birth control pill have fewer side effects than another?
- Can I use birth control pills to skip having a period altogether?
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Will The Pill Make My Daughters Cramps Better
For girls who experience severe menstrual cramps and over-the-counter medications do not help, birth control pills may be the solution. Birth control pills can help to decrease menstrual cramps. Because the combined birth control pills prevent ovulation, they also get rid of pain that your daughter may experience with ovulation in the middle of her menstrual cycle.
Is It Natural To Stop Your Menstrual Period
In the early days of extended-cycle birth control pills, women were concerned about the health risks of stopping or suppressing their periods. In fact, monthly bleeding is really not necessary — and suppressing it has no impact on health, Estes says.
Ross concurs: “There’s no risk to suppressing the monthly period. If a woman is having bad menstrual cycles, there’s no reason why she needs to have a period. But I have a lot of patients who are reassured by having one every few months, especially if they’re worried about pregnancy.”
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Will My Daughter Start Having Sex If She Goes On Birth Control Pills For Acne Or Any Other Medical Reason
Your daughter will most likely not start having sex if she goes on the Pill for reasons other than birth control. If she goes on the Pill for one of the medical reasons, she is probably just thinking about treating whatever the problem is. Her decision to have sex will likely be completely independent from her decision to go on the Pill at this time. Your daughter will choose to start having sex when she is ready, which involves much more than just when birth control is available.
Your Period Might Change
Most women get their periods within a few weeks of stopping the pill. However, your period might be noticeably different than it was while you were on the pill.
Your period will likely return to the way it was before you started taking birth control pills. For example, if you had irregular periods before the pill, they might become unpredictable again once you stop taking it.
Many types of birth control pills help women have lighter, shorter periods. When you go off the pill, its hormones will no longer regulate the flow and duration of your period. As a result, you could experience heavier bleeding or have a longer period each month.
Sometimes, your period wont come back after you stop taking the pill. Reasons might include:
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Option #: Hormonal Iuds
Theres a reason why OB/GYNs are obsessed with IUDsthey freaking work. Not only do they have the highest rate of pregnancy prevention , but they also last for years, meaning theres virtually no user error or memory involved. And, for once, you’ve got tons of options to choose from: either hormonal IUDs, all of which contain the same type of progestin-only hormone called levonorgestrel, or the non-hormonal IUD, which uses copper filament to prevent pregnancy.
Within the hormonal IUD category, youve got four different types on the market: Liletta and Mirena , and Skyla and Kyleena . Theyre all progestin-onlywhich we’ve already said isn’t usually as effective at blocking ovulation and crampsbut because IUDs sit within your uterus, they’re powerhouses for thinning your uterine lining, which, in turn, lessens bleeding and cramps.
Okay, okaybut what about the non-hormonal IUD? Is there a way to curb cramps and prevent pregnancy without flooding your body with hormones? Unfortunately, no. The copper, non-hormonal IUD is a huge no-no for dealing with period cramps. With the copper IUD, your period will be crampier and a little bit heavier over time, which is something to keep in mind when choosing your IUD, says Dr. Stoddard. The biggest benefit of the copper IUD is that it protects against pregnancy for a full 10 years, but if youre dealing with severe cramps already, you may not want to take a chance on making them more painful.
Going Off The Birth Control Pill Healthy Hormonal Support At Any Age
We think less is more when it comes to synthetic hormones. So, taking individual needs and health history into account, we encourage women at any age who have been on the Pill for a number of years to think about discontinuing it with support. It is easier than you think with the following steps:
The few women who experience more severe symptoms when they go off the Pill can layer additional support, such as a higher intake of phytonutrient-rich foods, including soy. If appropriate, we sometimes suggest discussing the use of low-dose over-the-counter progesterone cream with your healthcare practitioner, or exploring the use of bioidentical hormone replacement on a limited basis.
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You Can Skip The Withdrawal Period
Withdrawal bleeding could still cause discomfort or inconvenience, however, and some may choose to skip it. Whether it’s avoiding the physical experience of painful periods, menstrual migraines, or simply avoiding it for an event or vacation. Whatever the reason, know there are ways to skip your withdrawal period altogether.
You also don’t need to get a withdrawal period to know if you’re pregnant. If you take birth control as directed, there is a low risk of pregnancy, with typical use being around 9% and perfect use less than 1%.
First Are Birth Control Pills Really Safe
Women have become much savvier about artificial hormones since the Womens Health Initiative shed light on the risks of synthetic hormone replacement therapy . What many women dont realize is that the Pill has higher amounts of synthetic hormones than HRT up to twice as much, depending on the brand.
On balance, the Pill has a better safety record than many prescription drugs. But there are inherent risks with all drugs. While there is little data showing a connection between birth control pills and breast cancer risk, some women metabolize hormones differently. Risk of long-term use of birth control pills is unclear for these women. There may also be an increased risk of cervical and liver cancer. For some women over 35, the Pill may increase risk factors for blood clotting, cardiovascular disease, and liver, kidney or adrenal disease. It can also cause or worsen symptoms of hormonal imbalance: fluid retention, headaches, loss of sexual desire, breast tenderness, PMS, irregular bleeding, depression, and hair loss.
Many of the risks associated with the Pill have been linked to smoking, and other pre-existing conditions. It is important to always discuss the pros and cons of any prescription drug you are considering or taking with your healthcare practitioner, so you fully understand all the benefits and risks.
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How To Skip Or Delay A Period Using Birth Control
To skip a period using a traditional combined pill, a person must take active pills every day without interruption.
If a pack contains active pills and placebo pills, they are usually clearly labeled. Or, the placebo pills may be a different color from the active pills.
A person can continue taking active pills until they are ready to have a period. Taking no active pills for 1 week will trigger menstruation.
Some types of birth control pill suppress periods for a set amount of time.
Pill brands that suppress menstruation for 3 months at a time include:
- Quartette
Other methods of birth control also reduce the frequency of periods. Some examples include:
- NuvaRing, a type of contraceptive vaginal insert
- an intrauterine device, or IUD, that releases progestin
- a progestin implant or injection, such as the Depo-Provera shot
It is generally safe to use birth control pills to skip a period. However, there can be a few risks and side effects.
One risk is breakthrough bleeding.
Breakthrough or withdrawal bleeding can occur after a person misses a few periods or more. The bleeding may look like spotting, but it can resemble a regular period. The timing of breakthrough bleeding is variable, and it may not happen in some people.
Some brands of pill are more likely to causing breakthrough bleeding than others. If this type of bleeding occurs frequently, a person should speak to a doctor about alternatives.
Can Contraceptive Pills Stop Periods
In order for us to effectively answer this question, there are some things you should know about the pill. There are two types of birth control pills: the combination pill and the progestin-only pill.
As its name implies, the combination pill contains a mix of estrogen and progestin. It primarily works by stopping ovulation from occurring. In other words, it stops your ovaries from releasing an egg. Without an egg for sperm to fertilize, a pregnancy cannot take place.
Most combination pills require you to take three weeks worth of pills containing hormones. The fourth week is typically your placebo week.
The progestin-only pill, as youve likely gathered by now, only contains one hormoneprogestin. Its often called the mini-pill because of its low hormonal dose.
With this in mind, the combination-pill would be your go-to for stopping your period. However, it also comes down to the type of pill youre taking.
If you werent already aware, not all combination pills are the same. There are multiphasic and monophasic pills.
According to Bedsider, multiphasic pills have a mix of hormones which changes from week after week. On the other hand, monophasic pills contain the same mix of hormones each week.
Its possible to control the timing of your period with both a monophasic pill and a multiphasic one. However, skipping periods with multiphasic pills is not as well studied and, according to Refinery 29, may be a little more difficult to use .
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If You Just Cant With Your Period Anymore Talk To Your Doctor About The Options At Your Disposal
Dont wait until youre looking to stop your period for a specific window of time, like for a wedding or vacation. Try to give yourself some lead timeif you can give yourself three months, thats better than the month before, Dr. Shirazian says. The longer youre trying methods to stop your period, the more likely they are to give you no bleeding.
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But Wont My Body Get Backed Up
Noâyou wonât get backed up. One thing to keep in mind is that when youâre on the pill you actually donât have a normal âperiodâ. In fact, the combined hormonal birth control pill doesnât allow your endometrium to grow as thick as it normally would, which is why your periods on the pill are much lighter than natural periods . If you skip a cycle, the continuous exposure of synthetic hormones will maintain your endometrium at the same suppressed level .
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Is There Any Way My Daughter Can Lower Her Risk Of Getting Blood Clots While Taking The Pill
Make sure you let your daughter know if any of her blood relatives have had blood clots, especially when they were young . There are other factors that can contribute to the likelihood of whether a teen or adult woman develops blood clots such as a diagnosis of Factor V Leiden, trauma, or surgery, being overweight and smoking.
If your daughter smokes, encourage her to quit. If she is planning a flight or long car ride , remind her to get up and walk around and drink lots of fluids to lessen the risk of blood clots. If she is having surgery , talk to her health care provider about whether she should go off the Pill 3-4 weeks before the surgery.
Other Side Effects Of The Pill
Despite all of what has been discussed above, many will argue that taking the pill improves quality of life. It relieves monthly pain and therefore, must be good. However, for some women quality of life may actually be diminished where mood and libido are concerned.
Loss of libido and inability to achieve orgasm, well-known side effects of birth control, have a serious impact on a womans quality of life. This should be discussed with women considering the birth control pill.
There is data supporting a correlation between birth control and depression. Depression, which is a symptom woman have complained about since its adoption in medicine. With a significant increase in the number of Americans currently taking anti-depressants , it should at least give us pause before beginning the birth control pill.
For many women, resolving the underlying cause of their menstrual symptoms is a far more favorable option compared to the considerable impacts birth control would create in their intimate relationships, not to mention their long-term fertility.
The birth control pill isn’t necessarily an upgrade in quality of life for many women. Does birth control stop your period? It can. That seems like an upgrade, but it is important for women to weigh these risks before opting in.
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