Do You Need Special Pills Or Can You Use Ordinary Birth Control Pills To Prevent Having A Period
Although you may continually use the ordinary birth control pills to control menstruation, there are pill regimens that are specifically designed for this purpose. Such pill regimens are used to regulate or prevent bleeding for different periods, such as three months or even a year. To use the ordinary birth control pills to regulate menstruation, you should skip the placebo pills and start the next pack of pills for the period you intend to delay the menstruation. Triggering missed period on pill requires a continued use of the birth control pills. For better results, you should use monophasic pill for this purpose.
Possible Causes Of Missed Period On Birth Control
1. Hormone
Birth control pills contain hormones which can suppress the periods. Some pills cause the periods to pause for a certain period of time such as Lybrel and Seasonale. You can change your pills by consulting a doctor to get back to regular menstruation.
Significant hormonal misfiring in women under 40 year old may indicate premature menopause. Its symptoms include hot flashes, vaginal dryness, night sweats besides missing periods.
2. Lifestyle
When female athletes undergo training or include long term of exercise in their lifestyle, it can affect the menstrual cycle. Emotional stress can also lead to changes in the period cycle and amenorrhea.
2. Illness
There are some illnesses which can cause missed period on birth control, including thyroid disorders, false pregnancy, tumors, depression, eating disorder, ovarian cysts, cystic fibrosis and kidney disease. To rule out the illness, a checkup should be done if two periods are missed.
3. Medications
Some medications interfere with the menstrual cycle, such as steroids taken orally, anti-depressants, anti-psychotics and chemotherapy etc. These medicines can cause amenorrhea and you should consult doctor to get a confirmation.
5. Pregnancy
It is rare to get pregnant while being on birth control pills. However, it can happen to a small percentage of women who has missed taking a pill or hasnt followed the instructions on the package.
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.
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Does Birth Control Stop Periods
Technically speaking, yes. The period that you get when youre on birth control isnt the same as a regular period. Without hormonal birth control, the lining of your uterus gets thicker to prepare for possible pregnancy and then sheds during your period if youre not pregnant. Your body doesnt ovulate or go through this regular menstrual cycle when youre taking oral contraceptives. Instead, what you experience as a period on birth control is called withdrawal bleeding.
This bleeding occurs as a response to your body not receiving the same hormones during the rest week at the end of your 21-day pack. That means that if you continue taking the pill and skip the rest week, you can skip your periods too. Make sure to talk to your health care provider about whether this is a good option for you.
Seasonale Seasonique And Yaz
Those arent the names of contestants on Americas Next Top Model but rather popular brands of continuous birth control pills.
These pills require taking active pills for 3 months in a row and then taking a week of inactive placebo pills. Aunt Flo might show up for some spotting between months but is only in full flow for 4 weeks out of the year when youre taking the inactive pills.
This can also happen with injectable birth control methods like the Depo shot.
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So Its Okay To Skip My Period On The Pill
Overall, the consensus is yesâitâs okay to skip your withdrawal bleed on the pill. But since there are so many differently dosed birth control pills, itâs always best to first discuss the option of skipping your period with your healthcare provider to make sure that it is a safe and healthy option for you.
There is some concern that by normalizing period skipping, people will view their monthly menstruation as unnecessary, a nuisance, and even abnormal . Periods are neither a curse nor a disease. A menstrual cycle is like a vital sign, just like blood pressure, temperature, or respiration rate. It acts as an indicator of overall health . If you are on the pill and you want to have a period always, sometimes, or never, the choice is up to you and your preference.
If eliminating your period or withdrawal bleed is something that is important to you, then the standard birth control pill packs may not be the best option for you. There are other forms of contraception, like the hormonal injection, the hormonal IUD, the hormonal implant, or continuous birth control pills, that can cause your period to decrease in frequency and amount, and sometimes stop altogether . Speak to your healthcare provider about which type of birth control is best for you.
You May Bleed A Few Days
If you stop taking a combination hormonal birth control pillwhich has both estrogen and progesteronesome tissue sheds off, which can cause a light bleed, Alyssa Dweck, MD, an ob-gyn and author of The Complete A to Z for Your V, tells Health. This is also why you get a fakeâ period on the Pill during the week you take the placebo pills, she explains. A withdrawal bleed, by definition, is progesterone being withdrawn and the bleeding that occurs, says Dr. Dweck. A withdrawal bleed is not technically, by definition, a period because it is not a result of ovulation. After your withdrawal bleed, you still have to wait for your real period to come.
Think that because youve been on birth control for 10 years its going to take forever to get your period back? That might not be the case: Generally, the side effects of the Pill and the impact on suppressing the hormone pathways are rapidly reversible, Samantha Kempner, MD, an ob-gyn and an assistant professor at the University of Michigan Medical School, tells Health. Even with long-term use of the combination birth control pill, most women can expect to resume normal periods quickly.
Still no period after three months? See your docthey may want to check for issues like a thyroid condition or hormonal imbalances that could be keeping your period MIA.
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The Bottom Line On Missed Periods
Missed periods are most often due to pregnancy. If a woman is on birth control, however, there is likely another cause.
While missed periods are usually not a cause for concern, it is important to get medical care. Determining the cause of your missed periods and treating it will ensure that your monthly cycles continue and that you enjoy optimum health.
How Do Birth Control Pills Work
There are different types of birth control pills, but most types of hormonal birth control work by inhibiting your ovulation. If your ovaries dont release an egg each month, you cannot get pregnant.
Birth control pills typically contain estrogen and progesterone. Some pills contain only progesterone. These hormones both work to change your natural menstrual cycle and stop ovulation, although 40 percent of people who use the minipill continue to ovulate.
With most combined birth control prescriptions, you take active pills for 21 days and then placebo pills for seven days. These seven days are known as the rest week. Even though youre not taking any hormones on these days, the pill is still working to prevent pregnancy. You usually get your monthly bleeding during these last seven days, but its withdrawal bleeding, not a real period. There are some oral contraceptives that have 24 active pills and four placebo pills. And for progesterone-only pills, you typically take them for 28 days straight and then immediately start the next pack.
Birth control also prevents pregnancy by thickening your cervical mucus, which makes it harder for sperm to reach your uterus. It also makes your endometrial lining thinner so its less likely to support a fertilized egg.
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Are There Side Effects Of Using The Pill To Skip Your Period Continually
The main side effect of having long bleeding-free stretches is an increase in unpredictable breakthrough bleeding . The good news is that the frequency of breakthrough bleeding may decreases over time . Other than increased rates of breakthrough bleeding, taking your birth control pill consecutively, as opposed to having monthly pill-periods, does cause any additional side effects .
A concern about not having a regular âperiodâ is that you lose the monthly confirmation that youâre not pregnant. Although skipping your withdrawal bleed with the pill provides you with the same contraceptive protection as before, it also comes with the same risks if you donât take your pill on a regular daily basis.
How To Keep Your Menstrual Cycle On Track
If you miss your period while on the pill and you havent missed any doses, pregnancy isnt likely. Instead, the hormones in the pill are likely the cause. If you miss a second period and havent missed any doses, pregnancy is still unlikely. At this point though, if youre sexually active, its still worth taking a pregnancy test or calling your doctor.
Your doctor can help you address any other factors that may be at play. After youve pinpointed the cause, you should be able to get your period back on a regular cycle. You may be able to do this in a number of ways:
- Make sure you take time to relieve stress. Try breathing techniques, yoga, restorative walks, and even journaling to get at the root of your stress.
- Eat a healthy diet and work to keep your weight in a normal range. If you suspect you have an eating disorder, tell a friend or your doctor so they can point you to the resources you need to get help.
- Keep up with regular exercise. Your activity level may seem manageable to you, but see if stepping back a bit helps your regular bleeding resume.
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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 .
Causes Of Missed Period On Birth Control
There are several potential causes of a missed period when youre taking birth control. They may include:
Stress
Stress is one of the most common causes of a missed period. Research shows that women under stress during their cycle are much more likely to experience irregular or missed periods.
Stress has a significant impact on the hormones within your body. These hormones have the ability to create changes or a delay in your menstrual period.
Changes in diet and exercise
Any drastic changes in eating habits can affect your menstrual cycle. Diet can affect hormone levels and ovulation. If either are disrupted, you may experience a delayed or missed period.
If you are incorporating new or increased physical activity into your regular activity, it may be disrupting your menstrual cycle. Prolonged periods of intense exercise can alter your hormone levels, leading to missed or suppressed menstruation.
Weight loss
Significant weight loss can lead to lighter or missed periods. The presence of fat in your body can increase the level of specific hormones in your body. Losing dramatic amounts of weight will impact your hormone levels. This often leads to irregular periods and can be an underlying cause of a missed period on birth control.
Long-term effects of continuous birth control
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism directly affects hormone levels. Women who experience hypothyroidism almost always have irregular menstrual cycles.
Pregnancy
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Reasons For A Missed Period After Stopping Birth Control
A missed period after getting off the pill can be expected as your cycle regulates itself again. But how many is too many? Here are a few reasons why you may not be getting your period on the regs quite yet.
Birth control pills are widely touted as the answer to a pesky irregular cycle. Once you start taking them, voilathings even out and you get your period as soon as those placebos start each month. Doctors sometimes prescribe birth control pills as a way to balance hormones and kick-start your body into a more predictable cycle. Whats more, some studies indicate they can actually boost your fertility, partly because they can decrease your odds of fertility-inhibiting conditions like endometriosis.
But while those same studies indicate that normal fertility can return immediately after stopping birth control, what happens when thats not the case? We asked experts to weigh in on how birth control pills can affect your monthly cycle and explain the reasons why you might miss periods once you stop taking it.
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Why Is My Period Late
When taking hormonal birth control pills, your body no longer ovulates, and the lining of your uterus becomes thinner. As a result, your periods often become lighter and less painful, especially when taking birth control on a long-term basis. In some cases, women dont have much of the lining to shed. This can cause periods to stop coming.
Pregnancy is one reason you might skip a period or start later than usual. Excess stress is another reason, as it can impair the function of the hypothalamus, which is the part of your brain that manages the regulation of hormone production. Managing your stress more effectively and finding ways to lessen the stress in your life may help your period to come back and become more regular.
Changes to your eating habits can also impact your period, especially if you have lost weight quickly. If youre underweight, your body may stop ovulating to protect itself. Women with eating disorders are particularly at risk for irregular menstrual cycles or a lack of periods. Excessive exercise may also cause your period to stop coming, especially strenuous training or long-distance events.
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When Do You Get Your Period On Birth Control Pills
Once youve started your seven-day break from the pill each month, youll usually start to bleed two to four days into the pill-free week. This varies for each person, but birth control tends to make cycles very regular. That means that after a few months on the pill, youll probably find that your period usually starts on the same day of that week every month.
Youll probably be getting your withdrawal bleeding every 28 days, but even after your body has gotten used to the pill, you can still experience late “periods” on birth control.
Keep in mind that your birth control only works effectively if you take it correctly. If youve forgotten to take three or more non-placebo pills, you could experience withdrawal bleeding before your seven-day break is scheduled. This would mean that you are no longer protected for the month and that you need to use a backup method of birth control and start a new pack.
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Whats The Short Answer
Its common not to get a period after stopping the pill, explains Gil Weiss, MD, assistant professor of clinical medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Illinois.
The phenomenon is called post-pill amenorrhea, Dr. Weiss continues. The pill suppresses your bodys normal production of hormones that are involved in your menstrual cycle.
He says it can take several months for your body to return to its normal production, and therefore several months for your period to return.
But, in some cases, there is another reason for late or missed periods.
It can be something as simple as lifestyle factors like stress or exercise. Or it could be an underlying condition like hypothyroidism.
Discover other factors that could be causing your post-pill period problem, and how to get your cycle back on track.
Stress can affect the delicate hormonal balance that controls your menstrual cycle.
Stress induces the hormone cortisol, says Kecia Gaither, MD, who specializes in OB-GYN and maternal fetal medicine.
This, she says, can interfere with the hormonal regulation of menses via the circuit between the brain, ovaries, and uterus.
Other symptoms of stress to look out for include muscle tension, headaches, and sleeplessness.
You may also experience signs of stomach discomfort such as bloating, or mood problems like sadness and irritability.
While small amounts of stress are unlikely to cause changes, long-term or significant stress levels can stop periods.
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