# Birth control pills

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-pills/209558>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [October 25, 2003, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-pills/209558 "2003-10-25T21:51:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-pills/209558/21 "2003-10-27T23:12:03Z")

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I’ve been on the pill for about 15 years. When I began, I started my pills on Sunday, and my periods ran like clockwork from Monday to about Thursday. But over the years, they began cycling forward in the week, so I started adjusting the schedule. Now I have to start the pills on Thursday to keep my weekends period-free (like it makes a difference in my current life schedule, but it’s just habit, I guess).

I have done the skip-a-period thing exactly twice, both this year: Once when we were driving to Colorado during that week, and last month when I realized that I had miscounted the weeks when scheduling my yearly gyn exam, and it was easier to change my cycle than to change the appointment. Both times I found that the subsequent period was worse (more flow, more cramps, generally ickier-feeling). I feel like absolute crap today.

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**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-pills/209558/22 "2003-10-27T23:22:33Z")

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I’m a Tuesday starter (because Tuesday was Buffy night, and I’d therefore remember to start the new pack/switch to a new row). I get my period around 11pm Friday night–well, I did until I switched to Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo from Ortho-Cyclen. The past two cycles with this new pill, I’ve gotten my period Saturday around 7pm.

Yes, it really is that specific with me. I can get it down to the hour. Kinda convenient, actually.

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**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\
**Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-pills/209558/23 "2003-10-28T00:40:31Z")

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There’s only one way to find out whether I can pull off skipping periods, and that’s to try. If I can, I think I’ll find a way to afford it. What a beautiful idea.

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**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\
**Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-pills/209558/24 "2003-10-28T20:09:13Z")

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let us know how it works!

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**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\
**Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-pills/209558/25 "2003-10-28T20:15:45Z")

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Okay, but it’ll be a couple of months before I know, if I can even remember I’d talked about it here. 🙂

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