There’s a new contraceptive pill available that is a “no period” pill. I’m considering switching from Depo shots to this pill (will be at the doctor tomorrow to discuss it).
In articles about the new drug, researchers are saying that younger women are more interested in halting their periods entirely, while older women are less comfortable with the idea.
I’ve been period-free for years and love it. I’m 36.
How about you? (You don’t have to give your age if you don’t want to.)
46, on seasonale and loving it … if I could have just had the uterus ripped out instead of having just a tubal I would have been freaking ecstatic - but it was difficult enough to get my unmarried 22year old tubes tied [it was ok with my ob/gyn because having sprogs makes my kidneys shut doen and my insulin go off on extended holiday but the hospital had a cow…as if I had any intention of ever breeding again :smack: ] Although I am disappointed that I only get to play with my deva cup once a year now [i decided to go 1 week a year just to see if i am in menopause yet…]
I’m in Canada with a good insurance plan, so no, it doesn’t bug me to pay more for skipping the placebo week. I’m 20 and quite enjoying being period-free, although I’m sure people in this thread will pipe up with ‘but you’re so young and it might mess up your cycle so you can never have kids!’ but I’m not interested in them and would most likely have to be doped up on tranquilizers to raise them.
I use Ortho 1/35, BTW.
Oddly enough as a teenager I would have been quite happy to never have another period.
But then I found a brand of pill that made my cramps no problem at all (as opposed to days of agony), and the Diva Cup that made dealing with the flow no problem at all.
Now, I don’t mind Aunt Flo and it wouldn’t be a factor in my birth control decisions.
Since I am currently on the pill and don’t have a regular “period” anyway (the placebo pills mimic menstruation to make the pill more “natural” to women) I am in favor of getting rid of the bleeding all together. My only worry would be unexpected spotting - a potentially annoying side effect.
I’m 32. I am not using hormonal birth control because I have no need for the “birth control” portion, and my periods have never been problematic enough to seek a hormonal solution.
I’m not comfortable with the idea of halting my periods for the sake of convenience. I’m a little uncomfortable about the potential side-effects of long term hormone manipulation. (Not sure that any exist, but pretty sure we’ve not been manipulating hormones and studying the results in a consistant enough manner for sufficient time to really know it’s as safe as we’d like to think it is.)
Were I in a position to need birth control, or to desire to manipulate my hormones because of truly awful periods; I just don’t know what I’d decide. There is certainly a part of me which appreciates the simplicity of a period-free life, but it’s not like I’ve had that many problems because of periods in my life to date.
My sister and I were discussing this, and we were both wondering how a person would know if they got pregnant. Of course, hopefully that won’t happen while you’re on the pill, but it does happen occasionally. Whether your intention would be to have the baby or terminate, I would hate to think that I wouldn’t realize anything was going on for 2 or 3 months! Anyone have any thoughts on this?
I don’t use hormonal birth control methods, so it’s not really relevant to me, but it just makes me curious.
I think it’s great women have yet another option, but I’d hate to see anyone come under pressure to use this.
Some women was to be period-free due to “women problems”. Some professions (soldier, for instance) don’t combine well with the natural monthly cycle.
On the other hand, some women find the monthly bleed to be of minimal annoyance. Others find some sort of validation in it.
As for getting pregnant - I’ve known a couple women who became pregnant while using hormonal birth control. The morning sickness, weight gain, exhaustion, and other symptoms frequently seen in pregnancy are usually a tip-off something is going on only a couple weeks into the process so it’s not that impossible to tell. in most cases. Given that there have been instances of women delivering full term babies without knowing they were pregnant in all that time, I expect that no matter what birth control method used there will always be “surprises” of one sort or another.
I just asked my wife about it. She’s on the Depoprevera shot.
“I love not having my period. Don’t miss them at all.
Don’t have to plan vacations around them.
Don’t have to worry about what I wear.
Don’t have to carry around pads or tampons everywhere.
No cramps.
Never waking up with a blood spot on your sheets.
But I can’t use it as a no-sex excuse anymore, though.”
My damned doctor took me off of Depo after 5 years on it and I miss it so much. I have cramps right now that are about to double me over. I have always (other than the wonderful Depo years) had horrible cramps and horrible PMS. I’m 46, and that is why my doctor took me off the shots; there is a supposed risk of bond density loss in older women. It is a risk I would have gladly taken had I been given the option.
If I knew for sure that there would be no bad long-term effects and no unpleasant side-effects, you bet I’d go for it!
::resists temptation to hijack this into another Diva Cup Appreciation Thread::
I guess if I often camped in the woods with bears, swam with sharks, was deployed in a war zone or sent into space, I would want to make my period disappear.
BUt otherwise it remains only a minor inconvenience when camping, riding, traveling, no hardships really, it’ll go away eventually…
I’ve tried going longer on the pill between periods, pre-Seasonale, and found that after six weeks I got insanely grouchy, started spotting like crazy, and generally felt bad. My body does not like to have its hormones tinkered with, I’ve been on four or five different types of pills and after the first few months on 'em all started having migraines and stuff. No more pills for me.
If there were no side effects to speak of, I’d do it, but so far nobody’s come up with one that my body can handle. I read that something like half of the women in the trials on this new one had unpredictable spotting/bleeding problems – if I must bleed, I’d rather it be somewhat predictable!
I went through menopause ten years ago, and I never once felt any nostalgia for my menstrual periods. If I were a young woman, I’d jump at the chance to get rid of my periods, as long as I was certain that there would be no long-term side effects.
I’d totally vote for not ever having a period again (just turned 40 and I still have problems with leakage due to the heaviness of my cycle (and yes, I’ve tried Diva cup and have never been able to have it not leak)) but I’ve never found a birth control pill that didn’t have side effects I couldn’t live with.
I’m on hormonal birth control solely to control truly awful menstrual periods. The “periods” I have now are practically non-existent, and seem rather pointless. I don’t know if Lybrel would work for me, though, since skipping the sugar pill week led to truly epic breakthrough bleeding, on par with the elevator scene from The Shining. Having (very TMI) blood run, no, gush, down my leg while in the shower, the entire time I’m in the shower, is something I can live without. Standing in a river of your own blood is extremely unpleasant. That said, I’d rather live with the side effects of the pill I’m on than go without. I think it’s terrific that it’s an option now, since women aren’t meant to menstruate regularly anyway. I agree that not knowing that you’re pregnant could be a concern, but then, I’ve known women who spotted regularly the whole time they were pregnant, and didn’t realize for months that they *were *pregnant.
I love skipping them when I can. I’m 22. I’m currently waiting for the hormones from my Mirena insertion to settle down. I can’t remember the date exactly, but I think it’s been night on three weeks now (with a four day teaser stop) since I haven’t had my period. I’m waiting, I’m waiting for the promised land.
I’ve had depo before, and if it’s been monthly hormonal (pill or nuvaring), I’ve had a period whenever I just needed a little more reassurance that I’m not pregnant!
Gosh, that sounds like I’ve been on BC since before I could walk… It’s only been a bit over four years, I swear.
Modern women have far more periods than women did in the past, because they have fewer pregnancies and breast-feed either not at all or for shorter periods of time than those women did. So say articles I have read. My periods are an inconvenience to me. Menstruation and its attendant symptoms get in my way. The only concern I would have would be long-term side effects from continuous hormone use. The only time I had trouble-free periods was when I took birth control pills (though on the usual schedule, not continuously cycling) and I later found out that I need to take them anyway for other hormonal problems. I’m in favor of getting rid of my periods.
Never had a problem with periods. Haven’t been on birth control since '93. Last winter, I went on the pill for a month to adjust my period for a trip. Hated it, was grumpy, and my libido just crashed. I wouldn’t do it. NFP works well for us, despite my high libido.