Which Birth Control Pills Are Best To Use For Skipping Periods
Medically reviewed by Jenny Ingle Pappas, MSN, APRN, FNP-C on December 21, 2020
Women who want to adjust the way they have their periods on birth control have a number of options. Women can decrease the frequency of their periods, reduce the length of their periods, or occasionally avoid their periods entirely by taking certain kinds of birth control pills or taking them in a certain way.
That said, not every birth control pill is designed to be used to skip periods. The formulas to use for this are monophasic combination pills, meaning those that contain both estrogen and progestin in the same amounts in every pill. Most packs of combination birth control pills contain 21 days of hormone-containing pills followed by 7 days worth of placebo pills its while taking the placebo pills that people have their periods.
Can The Depo Shot Stop Your Period
The Depo Provera shot only contains progestin and no estrogen. Thus, its not uncommon for women on this shot to experience irregular periods or spotting, especially in the first two to three months.
However, according to AAFP, up to 50 percent of women experience amenorrhea, after the first year of use. In case youre unfamiliar with the term, amenorrhea is the absence of your period. Furthermore, this number can jump to 80% with increasing duration of use.
So, can the Depo shot stop your period? Much like the IUD, it depends. As mentioned in Planned Parenthoods article, many women who get the shot stop getting their period after approximately a year of use. However, theres no guarantee as everyone has a different experience with it.
With this in mind, remember that Depo Provera might not be suitable for everyone. So, be sure to have a chat with your doctor to see if this is the right method for you.
Is Skipping Your Period Safe
Medical studies have reported no significant negative health effects when you skip your period on the combined hormonal birth control pill . That being said, itâs still important to mention that there have been no long-term studies examining the safety of continually skipping your period. Sometimes medical repercussions take a longer time and/or need a larger population sample size to emerge.
If you choose to stop taking hormonal birth control, your natural menstrual cycle and fertility will usually return to normal after one month, regardless of how long you skipped your âperiodâ .
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Does The Pill Stop Your Period
Oral contraceptive pills or birth control pills or the pillis a hormonal pill that is used to prevent pregnancy. The hormones estrogen and progestin in the pill alter the hormone levels that must be maintained to conceive. OCPs are prescription tablets that are taken once a day and at the same time every day for best results. It is important to note that OCPs do not prevent the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases .
Because the pills alter your hormone levels, it is possible to temporarily stop or prevent your period with continuous use of any birth control pill. Skipping periods for some women would mean skipping debilitating cramps, bloating and moodiness that regularly arise at that time of the month. This can make a difference in the quality of life for many women and relieve the stress of anticipating these symptoms. Once the OCPs are discontinued, the menstrual cycle returns to normal. The pill wont stop the period permanently. Risks associated with the continuous use of the pill are the same as those with regular use with a slightly increased risk of blood clots and stroke. You must consult with a doctor for an appropriate regimen.
Birth Control Pill That Stops Periods Approved By Fda
- Date:
- Food And Drug Administration
- Summary:
- The Food and Drug Administration has approved Lybrel, the first continuous use drug product for prevention of pregnancy. It stops the body’s monthly preparation for pregnancy by lowering the production of hormones that make pregnancy possible.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved Lybrel, the first continuous use drug product for prevention of pregnancy.
The new contraceptive, Lybrel, comes in a 28 day-pill pack with low-dose combination tablets that contain 90 micrograms of a progestin, levonorgestrel, and 20 micrograms of an estrogen, ethinyl estradiol, which are active ingredients available in other approved oral contraceptives. Continuous contraception works the same way as the 21 days on-seven days off cycle. It stops the body’s monthly preparation for pregnancy by lowering the production of hormones that make pregnancy possible.
Other contraceptive pill regimens have placebo or pill-free intervals lasting four to seven days that stimulate a menstrual cycle. Lybrel is designed to be taken without the placebo or pill-free time interval. Women who use Lybrel would not have a scheduled menstrual period, but will most likely have unplanned, breakthrough, unscheduled bleeding or spotting.
Lybrel is manufactured by Wyeth of Philadelphia, PA.
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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
Does Menstrual Suppression Cause Infertility
The short and complete answer is: No.
Assuming birth control and period suppression can cause infertility over time is a common misconception, Prager says.
With almost all contraception theres a relatively immediate return to fertility once someone stops using the contraception. It depends on someones baseline fertility level, she explains.
That means that if you struggled with infertility prior to taking birth control, youll still have the same amount of difficulty after you stop taking it. If you havent struggled with infertility, birth control and stopping your period wont change that.
Some birth control methods, such as the Depo-Provera shot, may cause a delay in returning to fertility that people may need to factor into their baby planning.
That doesnt mean it is decreasing future fertility, it just takes a longer time for it to leave the system. With Depo-Provera, I recommend someone stop six months before they want to try to conceive, Prager says.
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The Possibility Of Post
At some point, you may decide to stop taking your birth control pills and expect to start having periods again if they’ve previously stopped. If you’ve been taking the pill for a long time, be aware that it may take additional time for your body to adjust. It’s possible that you may not have your period for several months.
According to the Mayo Clinic, most women who stop taking the pill will have their period resume within three months after stopping their prescriptions. However, some women may experience a longer delay in normal period service. This condition is called post-pill amenorrhea, and is not a cause for concern on its own. As always, you should consult your women’s healthcare provider with any reproductive health concerns you may have.
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Can Birth Control Help With Cramps
I am 14 and I have the worst cramps ever. Every time I have my period they seem to get more painful and last longer. I have tried aspirin and other painkillers. How do I deal with these cramps? There are times they are so painful I canât walk. My mom said I could get on birth control, but would that even help for cramps? Tysha*
Lots of girls get cramps at the beginning of their periods. Sometimes, medicine like ibuprofen may help .
Getting regular exercise can also help reduce cramps in some women. Soaking in a warm bath or putting a warm compress on your stomach wonât make cramps disappear, but may help your muscles relax a little.
It may sound strange, but when these methods donât work, birth control can actually help with cramps and are often prescribed for this reason.
Birth control works because it decreases the amount of prostaglandins chemicals your body produces to make the muscles of the uterus contract. With fewer contractions, there is less pain. Birth control pills also can decrease the amount of blood flow with a girlâs period.
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Learn Which Forms Are Most Likely To Stop Menstruation And If It’s Safe
There are many reasons for people to want to delay or skip a period. Some experience very heavy bleeding, painful cramping, or other severe symptoms during their menstrual cycle that they want to avoid. Other people choose to delay their monthly cycle for the sake of convenience, due to travel or other personal events.
But is it safe to skip a period? The short answer is yes, in most cases.
In this article, we’ll review which forms of birth control can help prevent a period for days, weeks, months, or even longer, how to so safely, and other concerns.
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.
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Combination Birth Control Pills
If a combination birth control pill is started for the first time on the Sunday after your period begins, your period should occur about 25 days later. Ask your healthcare provider which day is the best to start your specific pill pack. If your period begins on a Sunday, you can start the pill pack on that Sunday.
- In general, about 3 days after finishing all of the 21 active tablets in a 28 pill pack, most women will start their period.
- If you use a 28-pill pack, you’ll get your period during the week you take the reminder pills.
- If you use a 21-day pill pack, you’ll still get your period the week you do not take any pills. Remember that the 21-day pack has no reminder pills. Use a reminder to help you stay on track.
If You Are On The Combined Oral Contraceptive Pill
Mt combination pills come n blister pack sheets that contain the supply of 21 days r 28 days. Yu normally tk a hormone pill every day t but th same tm fr 21 days and then stop taking it fr seven days , r continue taking a pill without hormones fr seven days . In any case, menstruation begins when you stop taking the active pills because hormone levels fall.
Yu just need t tk only th active pills wth n breaks n between.
If youre using combination pills and want to stop or delay periods, u just need t tk only th active pills wth n breaks n between t vd th withdrawal bleeding. Youll need t stop taking th inactive pills. If u tk th active pills continuously, u wont get a period until u stop them. Yu huld contact ur doctor r pharmacist th n show u whh pills r active nd whh r th inactive pills. According to various experts, it should be perfectly safe to stop or delay periods for at least up to 2-3 months this way.
With biphasic , triphasic or quadriphasic pills you may need to close the phase by possibly taking the appropriate pill from the next pill sheet. The phases are usually color-coded to help you understand which pills belong to which phase. Consult your doctor if you are taking phasic pills.
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Is It Safe To Use A Birth Control Pill To Stop Periods
Generally, it is safe to use birth control to stop periods. However, there may be some types of birth control that certain individuals should not take. A person should always discuss with their doctor before taking anything to stop periods.
Which Way Is Right For Me
If you want to cut down on the number of periods you have per year, then experts suggest standard birth control pills, patches, or the vaginal ring. To stop your period long-term, birth control shots, long-term pills, and the IUD typically work best. Speak with your doctor about it. Youâll work together to figure out which method is best for you.
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