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 Do I Use Depo
If the shot sounds like a good fit for you, reach out to your doctors office, OB-GYN, or local health clinic to make an appointment.
At your appointment, the clinician will go over your health history to make sure its safe for you to receive the shot. They may ask questions about:
- other types of birth control youve used in the past
- any side effects you experienced
- your last period
- the possibility of pregnancy
If theres any chance you could be pregnant, youll typically need to take a pregnancy test before you can get the shot.
Some healthcare professionals may also recommend getting the shot:
- during the first 5 days of your period
- within 5 days after giving birth, or by the 6th week postpartum if you nurse exclusively
- within a week of having a miscarriage or abortion
If theres no possibility of pregnancy, you can get the shot at any time.
If you doget the shot within 5 days of starting your period or within 5 days of giving birth, youre protected from pregnancy immediately. The shot will have time to take effect before you ovulate, in other words. Otherwise, youll want to use a backup birth control method for 7 days to avoid an unplanned pregnancy.
As for the injection itself, it can go into your upper arm or buttocks. You can choose where youd like to get the shot.
Remember: Youll need to return to a doctors office or clinic every 11 to 14 weeks to get your next shot, so it might help to schedule your next appointment before you leave.
Consume Lots Of Vitamin C
Taking a diet that is rich in vitamin C will help in reducing the amounts of progesterone hormone present in the body. When this occurs, it assists in breaking down uterine lining much faster, which translates to a reduced length of your menstrual cycle.
The home remedy can also be used in easing discomforts associated with the menstruation.
Vitamin C has also been known to assist your body to absorb more iron, as well as strengthen your blood vessels.
- You have to try and incorporate more foods that are rich in vitamin C into your diet. Some of the best vitamin C sources include papayas, lemons, peas, oranges, tomatoes, bell peppers, grapefruits, dark leafy greens, berries, broccoli, and kiwi.
- Vitamin C may also be taken as a supplement, but this should only occur after consultations with your primary health care provider. Overdosing on vitamin C supplements may lead to side effects like insomnia, stomach upsets, and diarrhea.
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What Is The Best Birth Control To Stop My Periods
Using birth control pills to stop periods is a common practice, and relatively safe for most women. Some birth control options are more effective than others for suppressing periods. For example, many women enjoy the freedom of using implants for birth control, and while they can help to minimize periods, cessation only occurs in around one-fourth of the women using the patch.
Menstrual Suppression Options
In addition to the implant, there are a variety of birth control options available that are effective at eliminating periods. Among these options are pills, patches, shots, and even an IUD. With any method of period suppression, however, you can experience breakthrough bleeding, mood swing, and other PMS-like symptoms.
Birth Control Pills and Patches
Both birth control pills and patches are designed to run 28 days, with the last seven days being a placebo during your cycle. However, if you replace the patch or start the new batch of birth control pills after 21 days, you will prevent ovulation and stop your period from happening. To be most effective, you need to remember to take your pill daily around the same time or replace your patch on schedule.
IUDs and Period Cessation
If you are interested in learning more about menstrual suppression or birth control from Dr. Katayoun Motlagh, please contact our office today or schedule an appointment by filling out the appointment request form right on this page.
When Is Not Having A Period Not Okay
Despite the many ways in which people can safely avoid having periods, it is very important to know that sometimes not having a period is a sign that something is wrong. If you are not using hormonal birth control and you are naturally not having your period, you may have a condition called amenorrhea. Primary amenorrhea refers to a someone age 15 or older who has not begun menstruating. Secondary amenorrhea refers to someone who used to have regular periods in the past, but then has stopped getting for more than three months in a row.
There are a lot of reasons why amenorrhea happens, such as hormone imbalances, stress, being overweight or underweight, use of certain drugs or medications, ovarian or uterine disorders and, of course, pregnancy. If you are not using hormonal birth control and you are not having your period, start by taking a pregnancy test. If the test is negative, make an appointment with your healthcare provider to find out what is going on. Amenorrhea can lead to serious health problems, such as endometrial cancer or bone loss, so it should not be ignored.
If youre considering your birth control options or want to discuss your period, contact a Womens Healthcare Associates office to schedule an appointment.
Reviewed and updated: 04/19/2022
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How To Stop Taking Birth Control Pills After Long
Currently, there is no prescribed method on how to stop taking birth control pills after long-term use. You can choose to quit all of a sudden or finish the pack youre currently on.
If you finish the pack, even though it may take a while, your period will occur around the same time it did before. So if youd prefer to return to a more regular period schedule, its best to finish the pack.
After you stop taking birth control, your body needs time to adjust to the new balance of hormones, similarly to when you started taking the pill in the first place. Possible side effects include slight bleeding or spotting, abdominal cramps, and irregular periods for the first few months. Gradually, these symptoms should disappear on their own.
The most important thing to remember once you stop taking birth control is that pregnancy can occur at any time if you remain sexually active. Consider switching to a barrier method of contraception like condoms to prevent unwanted pregnancy.
How To Stop A Period Permanently
To permanently stop a period, you can have a surgical procedure to have your uterus removed, known as a hysterectomy. There is also a procedure that removes an internal part of the uterus, known as an endometrial ablation.
These procedures are permanent and therefore its important for a gynecologist to assess which method is best for you.
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How Many Days After The Pill Does My Period Start
Most women will start their period around 3 days after taking all 21 active pills in a 28-pill box. You’ll receive your period during the week you take the reminder tablets if you utilize a 28-pill pack. You’ll still get your period if you utilize a 21-day pill pack the week you don’t take any pills. Most women won’t experience any side effects from missing one pill, but it’s best to take all of them anyway.
Here are some other common menstrual myths that have been used for years without any basis in science:
You can predict when your period is going to come. The type of bleeding you experience is not able to be predicted based on how much exercise you do, what you eat, or even your weight. Your body has no way of knowing when you might want or need to go into labor, so it will send you a warning by making blood before its time to say goodbye.
Menstrual blood is really bad news. It isn’t. Menstrual blood is actually normal blood it just happens to look different than usual during your period. Some women may feel self-conscious about this blood because they believe it represents something worse than what it is: infertility or out-of-balance hormones. But this blood is not harmful and it doesn’t indicate any other health problems. In fact, it’s important for your body to release these red cells and let them dissolve once their purpose is served.
Could Birth Control Mess Up Your Period
Missing one or more birth control pills or making a mistake with the ring or the patch can throw your cycle off for a month or two. The important thing to do is to continue using your method as usual, and start the next pack on time, even if your period doesnt come during that week.
Is it OK if my period stops on birth control?
Missing your period while taking birth control pills with regularity is usually no reason for alarm. Contact your doctor with your concerns or take a home pregnancy test to ease your mind. Many women find that their periods return with simple lifestyle changes. When youre on birth control pills, light bleeding or a missed period may be normal.
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What Birth Control Works Best To Suppress My Period
While many types of hormonal birth control could theoretically be used for menstrual suppression, some are more common or reliable than others. Birth control pills and IUDs are some of the most common methods, whereas IUDs and birth control shots are some of the most reliable.
There are several types of birth control pills: combination pills, which include both estrogen and progestin, and progestin-only pills. Among combination pills there are also monophasic and multiphasic. Monophasic means the amount of hormones in each pill is the same, whereas with multiphasic pills, the dose changes throughout the month.
Combination, monophasic pills are the easiest and most effective to use to stop your period. Most pill packets contain three weeks of active pills that have hormones and one week of inactive pills that dont contain hormones. This is designed to mimic someones natural menstrual cycle. If you want to stop your period, you simply dont take the inactive pills and instead go straight to the next set of pills that contain hormones.
Some brands, such as Amethyst, are designed to let you skip your period for a year or more. Others, such as Seasonique, are designed to give you a period only every three months.
Additionally, the contraceptive vaginal ring and transdermal contraceptive patches can both be used to reduce or eliminate periods with about the same effectiveness as pills.
Can I Smoke If Im Taking The Pill
For lots of reasons, it is not recommended that you smoke and use the Pill, especially if you are over age 35. Smoking and taking the Pill can increase your risk for heart disease, blood clots, and stroke. The more you smoke and the older you are, the higher the risk. So ask your health care provider how to quit smoking or better yet never start!
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I Like Having The Extra Backup On The Contraceptive Side Of Things
I got a Nexplanon implant two years ago, mainly to stop having periods but I also moved in with my partner full time, so I decided to get some method of round-the-clock contraceptive too.
My experience has been fine. Insertion was very quick. The doctor talked me through what was happening. I had a small dose of localised anesthetic before hand, then she used what looked like a piercing gun to insert the implant and I didnât feel any pain. I kept it bandaged for a day or two afterwards. Now I have a small scar on the point of insertion, but I do scar easily. I had some light bleeding but no pain like I used to . After the insertion I didnât have a period for about 8 months, then I bled lightly for about 3 days, then it stopped again for another 8 months.
I plan on sticking with the implant. For me, it has been useful in stopping periods, and I like having the extra backup on the contraceptive side of things.âAnonymous, female, 20, Sheffield, UK
We at Clue recommend that you see a healthcare provider to discuss which birth control is best for you, and let them know if you are experiencing any negative side effects.
How Can Hormones Help
Painkillers like ibuprofen and diclofenac both of which are non-steroidal are often used for the relief of menstrual pain and cramps, and also for heavy periods. In addition to relieving the pain, they may also help to lower the amount of blood lost. Acetylsalicylic acid is not suitable for heavy periods because it has an anti-clotting effect so it can increase the amount of blood lost during menstruation.
The most common side effects of NSAIDs are stomach problems, nausea, vomiting, headaches and drowsiness. The women who took NSAIDs for heavy periods in studies didnt experience many more side effects than women who took a placebo for comparison.
Another medication that can help in the treatment of heavy periods is tranexamic acid. It affects blood clotting and reduces the tendency to bleed. Studies have shown it to be more effective than NSAIDs. Tranexamic acid may cause headaches, tiredness and muscle cramps. But these side effects are not more common than with NSAIDs.
There is no good-quality research on whether herbal products can relieve heavy periods.
If excessive loss of blood is causing extreme tiredness, iron deficiency anemia is probably the reason. It is normally treated by taking iron tablets. Iron supplements may have side effects such as stomach ache and constipation, and can cause your stool to turn black.
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The Need For A Balanced Accurate Discussion Of Whats Normal And Whats Healthy
The National Womens Health Network supports the availability of menstrual suppression products as an option for women. Our concerns about this method lie with the way these products are being marketed to women by manufacturers and health care providers.
Below are some examples of problematic marketing:
- One doctor brought to a media briefing by the makers of Seasonale asserted that using Seasonale could improve high school girls test scores because, she said, girls score lower on the SATs when they are menstruating, although she provided no evidence for this claim.
- Several physicians have referred to the experience of women in earlier eras who menstruated less than women today due to more frequent pregnancies and longer periods of amenorrhea associated with breastfeeding to support the claim that women werent intended to menstruate as much as they do today. One gynecologist who conducted research on menstrual suppression said Its having seven or 10 kids that are natural, explaining that menstrual suppression gets women to a more natural state. It is accurate to say that women menstruate more today than they have at other times, but the assertion that monthly menstruation is unnatural is unfounded.
The NWHN calls for young women to have accurate, comprehensive information about menstrual health.
Is It Natural To Stop Your Menstrual Period
Theres not actually a biological reason to have a period.
Having a period is natural and can be an indicator of overall health. But stopping it shouldnt be seen as an unnatural thing to do.
Plus, if youre already taking hormonal birth control, its worth remembering that the period youre having is just withdrawal bleeding.
So, in effect, youre already stopping your menstrual period.
2014 research review found that it was safe to stop periods with birth control.
No study has found adverse effects of using an extended or continuous birth control schedule. In fact, some doctors say you can suppress your period for a long time if you want to.
However, there havent been any long-term studies on this. And Planned Parenthood adds that combination pills can come with a slightly increased risk of things like strokes, blood clots, and liver tumors.
Of course, it may also be more difficult to detect pregnancy if youre not having a period.
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Can You Stop Birth Control Immediately
You may stop taking the pill whenever you wantâyou don’t have to finish the pack. Your menstrual cycle may be disrupted, but your period should return within three months. If it doesn’t, see your doctor right away.
Stopping the pill is not recommended as it can lead to unplanned pregnancy. You should continue with a safe method of contraception until your period returns and you are ready to start trying for babies.
If you forget to take your pill, there’s no need to panic. Simply skip the missed dose and resume taking the pill regularly as usual. There is no harm done by just skipping one pill. However, if you miss more than one pill or go more than four days without one, seek medical help before trying again later.
Some people feel better if they stop taking the pill for a few weeks first. This is fine as long as you do not delay seeking medical advice. Some methods of contraception work better if you time your periods correctly by stopping the pill around the time you would normally get your period. See your doctor to find out what method you should use instead.
For some women, it is necessary to wean off of the pill entirely before getting pregnant.
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