Is It Bad To Stop Your Period With Birth Control

When Should You Stop A Period

If your gynecologist thinks that your periods are not beneficial because you have anemia, endometriosis, or some types of uterine fibroids, it may be necessary to stop your period for a season.

In these cases, the gynecologist will indicate which is the best way to stop a period for a specific time until the disease is under control and the loss of blood is not a problem.

What Are The Benefits Of Delaying Your Period

Delaying your period can help you manage various menstrual symptoms. It might be worth considering if you have:

• A physical or mental disability that makes it difficult to use sanitary napkins or tampons
• A condition worsened by menstruation, such as endometriosis or anemia
• Breast tenderness, bloating or mood swings in the seven to 10 days before your period
• Headaches or other menstrual symptoms during the week you take inactive birth control pills
• Heavy, prolonged, frequent or painful periods

In addition, menstrual bleeding is sometimes simply inconvenient. You may want to postpone your period until after an important exam, athletic event, vacation or special occasion, such as your wedding or honeymoon.

How To Stop Having A Period Permanently

If you want to stop having a period permanently you can have a surgical procedure to have your uterus removed, known as a hysterectomy, or a procedure that removes an internal part of the uterus, known as endometrial ablation.

These procedures are permanent and so its important for you to speak to a gynecologist who can advise you on the best method:

You May Like: Signs That Your Period Is Not Coming

Side Effects And Complications:

You may experience breast tenderness, occasional headaches, nausea, and breakthrough bleeding for the first three months. These side effects are not unusual and should improve with time. If you continue to have breakthrough bleeding or have no periods at all after the first three months, please call the office so we can change your prescription. Your periods may be much lighter and should not be misunderstood as not having a period. If you have any withdrawal bleeding or spotting on the placebo pills, you do not need to call.

Number : Because You’re Taking Birth Control

Okay, so that sounds weird. But really, one reason why you may have a missed period on birth control is because of the birth control pills themselves. Don’t just take our word for it, though. The clever people at the National Institutes for Health, the World Health Organization, etc., all say the same thing. Specifically, the NIH says that secondary amenorrhea can result from certain birth control pills, injectable contraceptives, and hormonal intrauterine devices .

Global health experts try and counsel women worldwide on this very fact, especially in places where women want to avoid getting pregnant but do not use modern contraceptive methods.

Here are 3 things you should know about your periods while you’re on hormonal birth control:

Read Also: Why Do I Have My Period For 2 Weeks

Ovulation After You Stop Taking Birth Control

For many, ovulation begins within a few weeks of discontinuing use of oral contraceptives. Once again, those who were getting the birth control shot will likely have to wait longer for ovulation to resume.

Furthermore, your overall health and the amount of time you were on birth control can also affect the estimated timeline. These and several other factors impact your bodys ability to restore its usual hormonal balance, menstrual activity, and fertility.

Generally speaking, birth control pills give people the freedom to control their own reproductive systems by protecting against unwanted pregnancy. Once youve decided to stop taking birth control, be aware that irregular periods, cramps, and bleeding may occur. These side effects are temporary and should eventually resolve on their own.

Remember, handy tools like the Flo app can track symptoms of ovulation, including the consistency of cervical fluid and basal body temperature. This will help generate a more accurate prediction of when youre likely to be ovulating.

How Can I Delay My Period For Vacation

A prescription medicine called Norethisterone can delay the start of a period for a period of time. The doctor prescribes you three tablets a day, starting three to four days before your period is supposed to begin. In two to three days, you should begin to experience your period after stopping the medicine.

Also Check: List Of Tablets To Postpone Periods

Number : Do You Even Need A Menstrual Period At All

Here’s a fun fact: Monthly menstruation isn’t really necessary. In hunter-gatherer times, women were having babies one after the other, and they breastfed for long intervals, which suppresses ovulation and menstruation. Prehistoric women had about 50 menstruations, while modern women have about 450 periods!

With a 28-day cycle , the traditional birth control pill has no basis in biology. The makers of the pill decided to go this route to mimic the natural menstruation cycle to be more acceptable to society.

We know what you’re thinking: Can I just take birth control pills and not have my period at all? The answer is yes you’re allowed to skip your periods using birth control pills. You should ask your doctor if you’re interested. We got all the information in our previous article on how to delay your period.

But Ok It’s Actually Possible To Stop Your Period With Birth Control

Hear us out, because there are a few different ways of doing this. First, you want to talk to your doctor about your period, your general health, and your options when it comes to skipping your period. There are a few things they might suggest:

The hormonal IUD

The hormonal IUD is a little T-shaped device that is inserted into the uterus. Hormonal IUDs contain progestin, which works locally to thicken cervical mucus and reduce the lining of your uterus. For some people, this results in such little uterine lining that their period straight up poofs and goes away. Since you can keep hormonal IUDs in for between three and five years , that can mean whole years in which youre not getting a period.

Heres the thing: Youre not guaranteed to not get a period with an IUD or implant. Taraneh Shirazian, M.D., an ob/gyn with NYU Langone Health, tells SELF it totally depends on the person. If you tend to have lighter, shorter periods when youre not on hormonal birth control, youre more likely to have no bleeding on a hormonal IUD, she says. But if you have heavy periods, its less reliable, she adds.

If youre interested in getting an IUD to potentially stop your period, explain that to your doctor. They may recommend an IUD with a higher level of hormones. Either way, you may experience some spotting when you first get a hormonal IUD. This typically abates after a few months but may be annoying in the meantime.

The contraceptive implant

The shot

The vaginal ring

The patch

You May Like: What Happens When A Girl Gets Her First Period

Number : Because Of Physical Or Emotional Stress

So there’s this thing called the hypothalamus, which is a gland in your brain. If something’s wrong, your hypothalamus can’t kick off the menstrual cycle, and you won’t ovulate.

Characteristics that can affect your hypothalamus and lead to missing your period include:

• Emotional and mental stress

• Weight loss and low body weight

• Deficient intake of food/eating disorders

• Too much exercise

Researchers often see this happening in adolescent girls, where the common triggers are stress, weight loss, and excessive exercise. Girls at this time of their lives can undergo common life events that bring a lot of emotional and mental toll, like changing schools or becoming sexually active. Disordered eating during adolescence is also common.

Periods : Our Bodies Ourselves

Okay, so women have a menstrual cycle, aka as a monthly period. What exactly is your period, we mean, naturally speaking? Like what does your period look like if you were not taking birth control?

Getting ready for baby-making, science style

Your period before the pill was like this: Your body thinks you might want to get pregnant and so it gives you a chance every month . Every menstrual cycle, your body is preparing for you to be pregnant, and your uterus is building up the lining in anticipation for the new baby.

Menstrual bleeding: Discard that uterine lining!

But news flash to your uterus: you’re not planning on having any babies this month. Typically, the levels of your hormones , your body’s chemical messengers, go up and down depending on the situation. Suppose you don’t get pregnant this cycle. In that case, your estrogen and progesterone levels fall and tell your body to start menstruating, which means discarding the monthly buildup of the lining of the uterus.

Guess what? Your period on birth control is a “withdrawal” bleed

When you have your menstrual period while taking birth control, it’s called a “withdrawal” period because you’re not taking the active pills with the hormones in them. Essentially, it’s a hormone withdrawal, and the bleeding happens because of this lack of hormones.

Okay, so that was a lot. But now you know. And all of the rest will make sense. Get ready for all of the reasons why you could have a missed period on birth control.

Also Check: Can I Go In The Pool With My Period

Is It Safe To Stop My Period

There isnt really anyone who couldnt safely have menstrual suppression, Prager says.

Naturally not having a period can sometimes be an indicator of a health issue such as in people who have eating disorders, for example but if you intentionally and safely stop your period, it isnt risky, Prager says.

Pragers logic is this: 200 years ago, for example, women tended to have more children and so spent much more of their life pregnant or breastfeeding .

Modern people with uteruses have many more periods than people did then, she explains.

In some cases, using an IUD, shot or other form of birth control may be safer for someone than using birth control pills. While rare, birth control pills can increase stroke risk in some people who smoke and are over age 35, have high blood pressure, get migraines with aura, or have a history of stroke or heart disease.

While menstrual suppression isnt dangerous, initiating hormonal birth control can be uncomfortable at first, depending on how your body reacts to the type of birth control youre using. Some people experience mood changes like anxiety and depression, nausea, breast tenderness, migraines, weight fluctuations or other unpleasant symptoms.

For many people, these symptoms will go away within a few months. But some people may need to try a different form of birth control if their symptoms are too bothersome.

On the plus side, there are also benefits to taking birth control and stopping your period, Prager says.

Is It Unhealthy If You Skip Your Period While Using Mirena Or Other Birth Control Methods

does having an IUD in and not having a period affect your body in negative ways?

The Mirena and Skyla IUDs can lessen the number of periods you get, or stop them altogether. For some people, thats a huge benefit to using one of those methods. The implant and shot can also have that effect, as well as the pill and ring if used a certain way.

If youre thinking about using one of these methods to avoid having a period, you may be wondering if its healthy to not get your period every month. The answer is that its actually totally fine for you to not have periods because of birth control.

A lot of people believe that their period is a way the body cleans itself and keeps itself healthy. But the reality is that your body only needs to menstruate in order to shed the uterine lining that your body creates when there is the possibility of pregnancy. Hormonal birth control, like Mirena or Skyla, prevent ovulation and stop that uterine lining from building up, so there isnt anything to shed or bleed out.

Having a period is healthy and normal if youre not using birth control, but not having periods when youre on hormonal birth control is okay, too.

-Emily at Planned Parenthood

Tags:birth control pills, birth control implant, Mirena, IUDs, no period, ring, skip period, Skyla

Also Check: Can You Get A Brazilian Wax On Your Period

What Birth Control Stops Your Period

by Amanda A | 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!

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.

Don’t Miss: Can You Have A Period Without Ovulating

What Are Some Options For Non

For anyone looking to prevent pregnancy without taking hormonal contraceptives, youve got plenty of options:

• Condoms: When used correctly, condoms are 98% effective , but due to human error, condoms do have a 15% failure rate at preventing pregnancy.
• Copper IUD: If youre hoping for another one-and-done contraceptive, the non-hormonal copper IUD, or ParaGard, might be the best choice for you. Its the most effective form of birth control and can last for 10 years.
• Diaphragm or cervical cap: These two barrier methods can help prevent pregnancy when combined with spermicide . Like condoms, youll need to remember to insert a diaphragm or cap every time youre going to have sex. Diaphragms are 92%-96% effective, while cervical caps are only 71%-86% effective.
• Sponge: Another barrier method, the sponge is 88% effective at preventing pregnancy and must be used every time you have sex.

So, if youre ditching your pill or removing your patch, know that your body is likely to transition back to its before state over your next few cycles. And if youre not feeling great, enlist your primary care provider , OB-GYN, some ibuprofen, or a trusty heating pad for support.