About a year ago I was on the pill for a few months, and I still have an unopened pack of Ortho Try-Cyclen that doesn’t expire until November 2004. I’m going on vacation with my family from September 15th to the 20th, and I am joyously set to get my period around that time. For crying out loud, we’re going camping! I don’t want my period :mad:
I know when you start taking the pill, you’re supposed to take it the Sunday after your start your period. Well, it’s a bit late for that. My last period started on August 20th and went to about the 27th. If I were to start taking the pill, would I still be able to stop my period for a few weeks? Would it be bad for my body? Is there anything worse than having your period while camping?
Yes, as long as you continue taking the active pills of your Ortho Tri-Cyclen, you won’t experience your normal menstrual flow. The inactive pills that you take at the end are basically just to keep you in the habit of taking one every day – they’re like taking nothing at all, hormonally speaking.
However, if you’ve been off the pills for a while, they may not be able to get your cycle adjusted in time for this plan to work properly. You still have 11 days until the 15th, though – hopefully that will be enough time.
Also, you may still experience some spotting – my wife did.
Seasonale is a birth control pill dosed for 3 to 4 months at a time. Women on it generally get 3 or 4 periods per year this way. It’s becoming quite popular, and a significant downside to this approach hasn’t been demonstrated. Yet.
Speaking as a doc who prescribes BCPs (yes, even in prison. It’s a co-ed prison!) I have no problem with this approach.
Sure, give it a shot! Triphasics (like Ortho Tri-Cyclen) are generally not as useful for skipping periods as monophasics, but that’s with taking packs back-to-back. I don’t see why this wouldn’t work… Worst thing that might happen is you’ll get your period anyway.
There is another option besides the Pill. Immediately after I started using Depro-Prevara, I stopped menstruating. You may want to talk to your gyno and see if this is an option for you.
In fact, I haven’t had a period in almost five years. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me!
However, if you’re sensitive to hormonal changes, Depo might not be right for you. Some women experience some negative side-effects, and you’re pretty much stuck with it for three months, until the shot wears off. I had no negative side-effects, except for a temporary weight gain of about five pounds, and none of the other women I know who use it had any problems.
The reason they say to start the pack after your period is because that’s where the artifical hormones are designed to hijack your cycle. It is the least likely time to cause severe side effects. Hypothetically, you could start a pack of pills whenever you wanted and evenatually the pills would beat your natural rhythm into step with the artificial cycle.
Until your body’s natural rhythm is in sync with the one being imposed by the cycle of pills, though, strange things happen. That’s why they mention how your first few periods when starting the pill may be unusually heavy or light or irregular. Basically you’ve got two drummers laying down a beat (natural rhythm and artificial cycle) and your body is trying to figure out which one to follow.
It probably will disrupt your menstrual cycle, but I’d give even odds (I am neither a doctor nor a bookie) that it will give you the super period from hell while you’re camping as that it will let you skip it (or push it back until the end of the pill cycle… and still give you the super period from hell).
The male and female inmates are segregated. The female inmates are all short stay prisoners, no more than 3 months, for assessment and evaluation. Then they go to all female institutions.
