Can I Stop Period With Birth Control

Investigate Any Underlying Medical Conditions

If your period doesnt come back after three months, its important to let your doctor know. They can run a few tests to see if you have any underlying medical conditions that birth control may have been masking. Chronic stress, thyroid disorders, profound and chronic Vitamin D deficiency, PCOS, rapid weight loss, length of time of pill use, menstrual history prior to starting the pill and female athlete triad are just a few things that need to be considered when secondary amenorrhea occurs after stopping oral contraceptive use, McClellan says. If an underlying health issue is discovered, your doctor can walk you through steps for treating it, which could be as minor as taking a supplement or working on a higher daily caloric intake.

If everything comes back negative, though, McClellan recommends taking an integrative approach to getting your period back. While everyone is different, trying a combination of lifestyle adjustments can do the trick: This involves strong gut health, adequate sleep, acupuncture, some form of mindfulness, andparticularly importantregular and high-quality social interactions.

She explains that these interventions in combination reduce the inflammatory and metabolic burdens that our minds and bodies experience from the demands of our daily lives. The result is balanced communication throughout our entire brain and body, including the pathways that can lead to ovulation and regular periods.

What Birth Control Stops Your Period

by Michelle | Apr 24, 2018 | Birth Control Methods

There are many reasons why you may not enjoy getting your period. Painful cramps, heaving bleeding, and sheer inconvenience are just some them. Youve heard that birth control may help, some of which may even stop you from menstruating entirely. So, what birth control stops your period? And, is it bad to take birth control to stop your period? You have questions we have answers. Keep reading to learn more!

Does Missing A Withdrawal Bleed On A Pill

If youve been taking your pills according to the instructions, the pills will be 99.7 percent effective, even if you didnt experience any withdrawal bleeding. The efficacy of the pill depends on you taking the pill at approximately the same time every day.

However, its important to remember that no birth control method is 100-percent effective. If youve missed a withdrawal bleed on birth control and want to be sure, you can always take a pregnancy test.

If youve missed three non-placebo pills or more, your chances of ovulating will increase. If you dont experience any bleeding for a few days after missing the pills, take a pregnancy test. Its also a good idea to take a pregnancy test if you miss two periods in a row while on birth control.

Also Check: 90 Day Employment Probationary Period Template

Taking 2 Packets Of The Combined Pill Back

If you take a combined contraceptive pill, you can delay your period by taking 2 packets back-to-back.

How you do this will depend on which pill you take.

Examples are:

• monophasic 21-day pills, such as Microgynon and Cilest you take a combined pill for 21 days, followed by 7 days without pills, when you have a bleed . To delay your period, start a new packet of pills straight after you finish the last pill and miss out the 7-day break.
• everyday pills, such as Microgynon ED and Lorynon ED you take a combined pill every day. The first 21 pills are active pills and the next 7 pills are inactive or dummy pills, when you have your period. To delay your period, miss out and throw away the dummy pills, and start the active pills in a new packet straight away.
• phasic 21-day pills, such as Binovium, Qlaira and Logynon the mix of hormones in each pill is different, depending on which phase you’re in. You need to take these pills in the correct order to have effective contraception. Ask your pharmacist, community contraception clinic or GP for more information.

Taking your contraceptive pills in the ways described above will not affect how they work as contraceptives.

If you’re not sure which pill you’re on or which pills in the packet to miss out, speak to your pharmacist, community contraception clinic or GP.

Avoid taking more than 2 packs without a break, unless your GP says you can.

There’s a risk you could experience side effects, such as:

• feeling sick

Number : How Long Should You Have Your Period On Birth Control

When you have a period on birth control, it can be unpredictable. Strictly speaking, you should get your period during the time youre taking placebo pills. But unscheduled bleeding, whether light spotting or heavy, happens when youre on birth control. Usually, the bothersome unpredictable bleeding will resolve itself after a few months.

But what if you have bleeding for a long time outside of the placebo window? In general, periods should last between 4 and 8 days.

Lets start with defining and quantifying what we mean when we refer to bleeding or spotting. Thatll help you determine it for yourself, and itll help you if you decide to talk to your doctor about it.

Don’t Miss: Usaa Grace Period Auto Insurance New Car

How Can I Find The Right Solution For Me

Different women experience their periods differently, and the amount of menstrual blood they lose can vary naturally from month to month. But the amount of stress caused by heavy periods can only be determined by the woman herself: Whereas some women who have heavy periods may not think its a big problem, others already feel very uncomfortable with less heavy periods.

Its important to first have a doctor look for possible causes of the heavy periods. In most cases you can then take your time to decide whether to start treatment and consider which of the treatment options is right for you. If you’re not sure, it may be a good idea to get a second medical opinion especially if a hysterectomy has been recommended. Our decision aid may help here. It briefly summarizes the main pros and cons of the different treatments.

Your Period On Birth Control: What Is A Withdrawal Period

Before we can get into what birth control stops your period, theres something you should know.

Did you know that your period while on hormonal birth control is an imposter? Dont panic! We can explain.

Women taking hormonal birth control typically have what are called withdrawal periods. While they may look and feel like regular periods, they arent actually true periods at all.

These periods usually occur during your placebo week when taking hormonal birth control such as the ring, the patch, or the pill. However, as mentioned, this bleeding isnt really a true period. According to the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals , its the bodys reaction to not having the hormones it gets the other three weeks of the cycle.

Also Check: Can You Donate Blood While Menstruating

How To Delay Or Skip Your Period Using The Pill

There are several ways to delay or skip your period using birth control.

If you use a combined birth control pill such as Yaz, Estrostep or Ortho Tri-Cyclen, you can skip your period by only taking the active pills, without ever using the seven inactive pills in each pack.

Since this gives your body a constant supply of ethinyl estradiol and progestin hormones, you shouldnt experience the withdrawal bleeding thats common with a 21:7 cycle.

Since youll go through more pill packs than normal this way, its best to check with your healthcare provider ahead of time to make sure everything is okay.

The second way to skip your period using birth control is to use an extended-cycle birth control pill.

Birth control pills like Seasonique®, Seasonale®, Quasense®, Jolessa® and Camrese® are designed to give you 12 weeks between periods. Instead of getting your period every 28 days, youll only get your period once every three months.

Theres also a continuous cycle pill called amethyst , designed to allow you to skip your period for an entire year at a time. This type of pill has no inactive pills, meaning youll never experience any withdrawal bleeding while you use it.

If you currently use a birth control pill with a 21:7 cycle length and want to switch to an extended cycle pill, its best to talk to your healthcare provider. Theyll be able to inform you about the potential benefits, risks and changes youll need to make while using this type of birth control pill.

Contraceptive Effects On Menstrual Patterns

The bleeding patterns women experienced were similar to those suggested in the literature.23 In general, IUD users reported slightly longer bleeding episodes after initiating the method, whereas women using the injectable or implant experienced a wide variety of menstrual changes. Over time, injectable users increasingly tended to miss menstrual periods, whereas implant users became less likely to do so.

However, because of the longitudinal and comparative nature of this study, the findings also emphasize how variable menstrual cycle effects may be for individual users over time, between individual women using the same method and between different contraceptive methods. For example, the six months of diary data suggest that changes in a woman’s menstrual cycle can be quite dramatic in the short-term, especially for women using the injectable or implant. Though more than 20% of injectable and implant users reported no menstrual bleeding within the first two months of use, others recorded extremely long periods of bleeding. During the first six months, women initiating these two methods recorded, on average, almost twice as many days of bleeding per cycle as new IUD users did, as well as more days of regular and heavy bleeding. Compared with other method users, women using the IUD experienced fairly moderate changes in their menstrual cycles.

You May Like: New Hire 90 Day-probationary Period Template

Recap: The 4 Reasons Why You May Have Missed Your Period On Birth Control

We talked about 4 solid reasons why you may have missed your period this month, even though youre taking birth control. Here they are again:

The main message is generally not to worry about being pregnant if youve been taking your pills and have no other concerning symptoms. But if youre concerned, you can always ask your health care provider.

Recommended Reading: Why Do I Have 2 Periods A Month

Are Oral Contraceptive Pills Effective

When oral contraceptive pills are taken as prescribed, they are 99 percent effective in preventing pregnancy. When OCPs are missed for one day or not taken at the same time every day, they are 91 percent effective.

Conditions that reduce the effectiveness of OCPs include

• Forgetting to take OCPs for two or more days
• Diarrhea or vomiting for more than 48 hours
• Taking medications such as certain human immunodeficiency virus medicines, certain anti-seizure medicines, the antifungal griseofulvin, the antibiotic rifampin and St. Johns wort

Condoms have to be used as a backup during these conditions. Different birth control methods have to be considered. These medications have to be taken long term.

You May Like: 90 Day Probationary Period Form

Birth Control Pills And Mini

Birth control pills are hormonal contraceptives. They contain either a combination of estrogen and progestin , or just progestin .

Women whose main reason for taking birth control pills is to manage heavy periods often choose to take the mini-pill. The low-dose progestin-only mini-pill is taken every day, without any breaks. This usually causes menstrual bleeding to become irregular, and sometimes women may even stop getting their period.

Combination pills are mainly used as contraceptives. Most women take the combination pill for 21 days per cycle. The bleeding starts during the seven-day break that follows. Low-dose combination pills can be taken continuously too. Then the woman usually stops getting her period completely, and only has light spotting at the most.

But combination pills have not yet been approved for continuous use in Germany. So if they are used in this way it is considered to be off-label use . Its important to discuss the possible consequences of this type of use with your doctor.

The possible side effects of birth control pills include fluid retention, headaches and breast tenderness. The combination pill in particular increases the likelihood of blood clots , so women who have a greater risk of thrombosis are advised not to take it.

Dont Miss: How To Make Your Period Flow Heavier

Learn More About Your Period And Birth Control

Every hormonal method of birth control has a chance of affecting your period, from giving you a lighter, easier period to helping you skip it completely. Our guide to birth control and your period goes into more detail on how hormonal birth control can affect your menstrual cycle.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment.

Get updates from hims

Read Also: 90 Day Probationary Period Letter

When To Use Menstrual Suppression

You may want to avoid menstruating during a vacation, athletic competition or another important personal event. There are now oral contraceptive pills on the market that offer the ability to suppress menstruation. These pills are intended to change a woman’s bleeding pattern to produce either no periods or just four periods a year , instead of a dozen.

Menstrual suppression products are chemically identical to traditional oral contraceptive pills. The active tablets contain a combination of levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol. The difference lies in the way a woman takes the pills. The traditional OCP is taken for 21 days, followed by 7 days of placebo pills. Seasonale and Seasonique are taken for 84 days consecutively, followed by 7 days of placebo pills. In both cases, while the woman is taking the placebo pills, she gets her period.* Lybrel uses the same hormones, in a slightly lower dose, with no change in hormone dose throughout the year. Lybrel is designed to produce no periods at all.

How To Delay Or Skip Your Period Using Birth Control

Medically reviewed by

Modern birth control pills dont just prevent you from becoming pregnant they also give you a new level of control over your menstrual cycle.

If you frequently have a heavy, uncomfortable period, using the birth control pill to delay or skip your period can help you avoid discomfort and improve your quality of life.

Below, weve explained the basics of how birth control affects your menstrual cycle, as well as how you can use the birth control pill to delay your period, skip your period or reduce the total number of menstrual cycles you have every year.

Read Also: 90 Probationary Period Employment Form