What Happens To Your Body When You Purposely Skip Your Period
According to the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, most women will have an average of 450 menstrual periods during their lifetime. Additionally, according to a recent survey they conducted, over 80 percent of respondents reported adverse, period-related symptoms including bloating, moodiness, cramps, and irritability.
But theres good news! Get ready to throw away your pads and tampons, because you can use hormonal birth control to skip your individual periods whenever you need to or stop menstruating altogether. You can do this on the pill by skipping your placebo pills every month, or you can opt to halt your period entirely with an IUD, injections, implants, and more.
Even if your period isnt so bad, you can still suppress it for the sake of convenience. So if youve been approved for hormonal birth control by your doctor and havent had any problems with it, read on! This is what happens to your body when you purposely skip your period.
What Birth Control Side Effects Should I Expect While Taking The Pill
The hormones in birth control pills may cause side effects in some people. But this doesnt happen to everyone many people use the pill with no problems.
After starting the pill, some people may have:
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Changes in your periods
The good news is that these side effects usually go away in 2-3 months. So if you just started the pill and you have side effects that bother you, try to stick it out and give your body a chance to adjust to the hormones.
Birth control shouldnt make you feel sick or uncomfortable. If you still dont like the way the pill makes you feel after a few months, talk with your nurse or doctor. They may suggest another brand of pill or a different birth control method. Some people try a few different types of pills or birth control methods before finding the right one for them.
And remember: if you stop taking the pill and dont use another birth control method, youll be at risk for pregnancy right away.
The birth control pill has been around for decades, and millions of people have used it safely. Birth control pill side effects arent dangerous . You can always call a nurse or doctor, like the staff at your local Planned Parenthood health center, if you have any concerns while using the pill. And you can keep track of any potential side effects with our birth control app.
Are There Any Advantages To Skipping Your Period
Many women choose to skip their period with birth control to help manage menstrual symptoms, such as headaches/migraines, cramps, mood swings, and painful periods. It can also be very beneficial not to have a period if you have a condition that is worsened by it, such as endometriosis, PCOS, ovarian cysts, or anemia. Plus, skipping your period saves you money on menstrual products and is just more convenient for life in general.
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More Questions From Patients:
Nope. Theres been a ton of research on the birth control pill, and studies show that using the pill does not make you gain weight. And there are no birth control pills that make you lose weight.
Some people think that the hormones in the pill cause weight gain or weight loss, but thats not true. The same goes for the birth control ring and birth control patch these methods of birth control have the same hormones that are in most birth control pills, so the patch and ring wont change your weight either. The hormonal IUD and the copper IUD also wont lead to weight gain or loss.
There are 2 methods of birth control that may cause weight gain in some people who use them: the birth control shot and the birth control implant. But this doesnt happen to everybody who uses these types of birth control. Many people use the shot or the implant without gaining weight.
Breakthrough bleeding is when spotting happens while youre not on your period. Breakthrough bleeding while youre on the birth control pill is normal and usually nothing to worry about.
Here are a few things that may help lessen your breakthrough bleeding:
Are Symptoms Coming On Gradually Or All Of A Sudden
Flu symptoms tend to develop more suddenly than those of Covid or RSV.
Flu classically comes on with an abrupt fever first that happens pretty quickly. Thats somewhat contrasted by RSV and Covid, where we think of a slow escalation in symptoms, said Dr. Scott Roberts, a Yale Medicine infectious disease specialist.
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Safety Of Skipping Your Period
There are a number of reasons why you may want to skip your period.
Its generally safe to do so if youre on birth control pills. However, its best to check with your doctor first. Youll want to make sure that theres no medical reason for you to continue with your current menstruation schedule.
Taking birth control pills to reduce or eliminate your period is just as safe as taking them in the conventional way, says Gerardo Bustillo, MD, OB-GYN, at Orange Coast Memorial in Fountain Valley, California.
Menstruation isnt physiologically necessary. In general, women today experience many more menstrual cycles over their lifetime compared to women of previous generations, says Bustillo. There are a few reasons for that, including the following:
- Many women today start menstruating at a younger age.
- Women today have fewer pregnancies on average.
- Women today dont breastfeed for as long.
- Women today generally reach menopause later in life.
According to Lisa Dabney, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the monthly period that traditional birth control pills allow for may have had more to do with marketing than anything.
When the birth control pills first came out, they were designed for women to get their periods every four weeks like a natural period, she says. This interval is really set up by the cycle of the pills and was set up that way so women would more readily accept them.
If I Skip My Placebo Pills Will There Be Side Effects
Skipping the non-hormonal birth control pills in your pill pack wont cause any side effects. The non-hormonal pills are just there to help you remember to take your pill every day and start your next pack on time. Sometimes the non-hormonal pills also have supplements in them, like iron, which can be good for your general health but arent needed for pregnancy prevention.
If you skip your non-hormonal pills and jump right to your next pill pack without taking a break, youll skip your period. You can do this every once in a while , or you can do it every month. Its totally safe to use birth control pills to skip your period, and it wont affect how well they work to prevent pregnancy. However, if you do this you may have some spotting, especially if you havent done it before or only do it every now and then. This is totally normal and safe.
If you dont take the hormone-free pills and instead just take a break from taking your pill on those days, youll still get your period. Just make sure you remember to start your next pack on time, or youll be at risk for pregnancy.
Tags:birth control pills, placebo pills, sugar
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Can I Skip Part Of My Progestin
Medically reviewed by Susan Vachon, PA-C on January 13, 2020
Unfortunately, no you cant. Progestin-only pills release a small amount of progestin every day of your pack. POPs work in a few different ways. They thicken the mucous in the cervix, making it difficult for sperm to enter the uterus and fertilize an egg. They stop ovulation, but they do not do so consistently. About 40% of women who use progestin-only pills will continue to ovulate. POPs also thin the lining of the uterus, making it less likely that a fertilized egg can attach to it. Progestin-only pills have about the same effectiveness as combination birth control pills, rings, and the patch when used as directed. The biggest reason POPs may not be as effective is because of user error in not taking them correctly. Because POPs do not inhibit ovulation consistently, you would not be reliably protected from pregnancy during a hormone-free interval. Without a hormone-free interval during which you would have your period there are no pills to skip in order to avoid having a monthly period.
Birth control from Nurx costs as little as $0 with insurance or $15 per month without insurance.
Some Symptoms Are Unique To Particular Viruses
A runny nose, cough, congestion or sore throat can arise because of any of the three viruses or a common cold. But a loss of taste and smell is more commonly associated with Covid than with flu or RSV. And wheezing is often a tell-tale sign of a serious RSV infection, usually found in kids or older adults.
The only way to know for certain, though, is to get tested.
I dont think anybody would ever go, Hey, listen, I think you have a virus based on your symptoms, and feel confident to say what virus that is, said Dr. Frank Esper, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Cleveland Clinic.
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Is It Normal To Not Be Having A Period During The Placebo Week
Menstruation is triggered by a drop in the hormones estrogen and progesterone, both of which are artificially produced by the pill. This means that menstruating on the pill isnt a real period so much as it is withdrawal bleeding produced by a lack of artificial hormones. Your period is not a medically necessary process. Its just your bodys way of telling you that youre not pregnant. This is why its totally safe to use birth control to skip your period entirely, either by using extended-cycle birth control pills that allow for four periods a year, or by skipping the placebo week of your 21 or 28 day pack. Its also normal to experience breakthrough bleeding outside of your placebo weekin fact, 1 in 5 women will experience this when starting a new pill. That being said, this breakthrough bleeding should stop after 3 months of pill use. If it continues, contact your doctor.
Taking The Combined Pill Back
If you take a combined contraceptive pill, you can delay your period by taking the packets back-to-back.
How you do this will depend on the type of 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 youre in. You need to take these pills in the correct order to have effective contraception. Speak to your pharmacist, community contraception clinic or GP for more information before taking phasic pills back-to-back.
Taking your contraceptive pills in the ways described above will not affect how they work as contraceptives.
If youre not sure which pill youre on, which pills in the packet to miss out, or you need advice, speak to your pharmacist, community contraception clinic or GP.
Taking the combined pill can cause side effects, such as:
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What Are The Other Benefits Of Extended Cycling Of The Pill
Other benefits? Thatâs right. Taking The Pill continuously not only allows you to safely skip your period, itâs also been shown to reduce PMS symptoms including headaches, tiredness, bloating and pain, compared with traditional 21 day use.
A lot of women also find it easier to remember The Pill when they take it every day. This might explain why some studies find it even more effective for preventing pregnancy than 21 + 7 day cycles.
Is It Bad To Skip Your Period On The Pill
Some women like to skip a period for the matter of sheer convenience, while others might want to get rid of heavy, painful periods as well as related symptoms such as bloating, headaches, breast tenderness, and mood swings. But, what truly matters is the safety of hormonal pills for rescheduling a menstrual cycle. Before you think of using birth control to skip a period, you should speak to your doctor.
In case of women over 35, those suffering from hypertension and regular smokers, missing periods on birth control pills is not such a good idea because you may be susceptible to the risk of strokes, blood clots and even heart attacks. If you dont fall in any of these risk groups, using birth control pills for delaying or missing a period is safe. However, not all doctors may be in favour of the idea of fidgeting with the natural menstrual cycle unless theres an absolutely justified reason for doing so.
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My Doctor/pharmacist Hasnt Heard Of Continuous Pill Taking What Should I Do
The push for more women to have the option of taking the combined pill back to back is relatively recent, and unfortunately it can take time for changes in guidance to reach GPs and other healthcare providers.
If your doctor or pharmacist hasnt heard of the new guidelines, download the Family Planning Associations leaflet about combined contraception and take it with you, referencing pages 11 and 12.
Dont be shy in telling them that the guidance has changed your healthcare provider will want to work with you to make sure youre making the most informed choice!
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It All Starts At The Beginning
The first contraceptive pills were designed with three weeks of active pills and one week of sugar pills. Those sugar pills induce a withdrawal bleed, which mimics a womanâs menstrual cycle.
As a result, the “safe” length of time to take The Pill has long been misunderstood as three weeks. In reality though, you can take The Pill for as long as you like.
In fact, the âpill-free weekâ was included as a marketing ploy to appeal to the Catholic Church, and to boost female acceptance of The Pill by making it seem âmore naturalâ.
But times have changed, and they now couldnât be more wrong. A 2004 study of 1195 German women found more than half of them were interested in using The Pill for extended periods to reduce the frequency of menstrual bleeding. Of those who werenât interested, more than two thirds gave reasons including fear of pregnancy, infertility, and side effects.
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What Happens When You Skip Your Period
To understand what happens when you skip your period, its important to get a run-down on how birth control pills work.
Your hormonal birth control pills contain a combination of estrogen and progesterone. The steady releases of these hormones in your body prevent ovulation and cause thickening of the mucus in the cervix, making it almost impossible for sperm to get through.
A regular period arrives due to changes in hormone levels after ovulation . Since you arent ovulating, the bleeding that you experience while on birth control isnt your real period its actually called withdrawal bleeding. By taking away the estrogen and progesterone, youre causing a hormonal withdrawal from your body, triggering a period.
Instead of withdrawing those hormones from your body, youre continuing to supply them by immediately starting a new pack of birth control instead of taking the placebos or skipping a week. So, skipping your period isnt actually skipping your period at all its delaying hormonal withdrawal, thus preventing withdrawal bleeding.
A Scheduled Visit To The Gynecologist
Scheduled a pap smear months in advance, only to realize that it falls out on your expected period date? Its uncomfortable enough bleeding down there, but to have someone peering into your privates during your period thats enough to make anyone cringe.
Going to the gynecologist is a good enough reason for any women to want to delay or skip a period.
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Is Mini Pill Better Than Combined
The mini pill might be the best contraceptive pill for you as it contains only progesterone, meaning that women who cannot take oestrogen can use it. Unlike the combined pill, the mini pill will not raise your blood pressure, but it may not control your periods in the way that the combined pill does.