I'm never getting my period again?!?! Shock and Awed.

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

So, I go see my doctor for the annual super-large Q-tip exam (oh joy) and casually ask her what she thinks of the new Seasonale pill which you take for 84 days straight and only have a period 4 times a year (each season…catchy name, I think).

She looks at me dead in the eye…the exam was over by this point, thanks…and she said that I can just keep taking BCPs Birth Control Pills) and never skip or take the sugar pills.

I could have fallen over when she told me this. Surely, this was a joke.

She said that it was no problem, there was no reason for having a period, especially considering I am anemic and have endometriosis. It will actually be helpful if I didn’t. She switched me to a lower dose, told me that once I was off the pill I could get pregnant very easily and to enjoy my life!

Why wasn’t I told this before? I have suffered for 12 years with horrible cramps, headaches, intenstinal problems, moodiness. And now, no more periods.

No more big nighttime pads? No more tampons? No more clots?

Why isn’t this treatment recommended to people who are truly suffering? Or even for people like me who suffer somewhat but have to travel all the time?

Even when I went to get my perscription, the pharmacist asked me if the directions were correct on the script. When I said they were, she gave me a wink and said, “Good for you! I’ve been period free for 3 years.” This of course got me a look from the other woman waiting next to me with her baby. When I explained that I was chosing not to have a period, she too was Shocked and Awed. She said she would speak to her doctor as she had just finished breastfeeding and wanted back on the pill.

Do you know anyone else who is doing this? Is this some sort of evil tampon-lobby at work, keeping women down for a week?

What will I do now with no PMS?

I figure I have 2 good weeks a month that are not in pain. One week I am cramped and bloated up 2 sizes, the next week I am ragging out, broken out with acne, having horrible intestinal and PMS cramps. Edgy, sweaty palms, and very very tired.

I hope this works. If it does I will be the spokeswoman. I will hang out in the panty-protection aisle and give home-made fliers to women deciding if they want to try tampax pearls.

I will wear white underwear whenever I want. I will throw out my granny-panties since I won’t be needing them for the overnights.

I will buy expensive sheets!

OK, I’m done.

2

I’ve heard of this before. One thing I’ve always wondered, and maybe your doc told you about, is…um…where does the “flow” go? Since you aren’t releasing an egg, does it just not build up? Is it re-absorbed by your body? :confused:

Shameful how little I actually know about my own body sometimes…

3

There is no flow…I had to ask as well!

It never grows in the first place. It is a lower dose and the hormone suppresses the growth of the tissue.

The conventional pill is also a uterine-lining growth suppressor which is why many women take it to have lighter periods.
About Seasonale: http://www.ivillagehealth.com/conditions/reproductive/articles/0,11299,166936_210502,00.html?arrivalSA=1&arrival_freqCap=1&pba=adid=123456

"Seasonale works similarly to the conventional pill by suppressing ovulation, causing the cervical mucus to thicken and become hostile to sperm, and preventing the lining of the uterus (endometrium) from growing thick enough for a fertilized egg to imbed itself. The hormones in Seasonale vary slightly by suppressing the growth of the endometrium entirely, according to Patrice C. Malena, MS, FNP, who coordinated the Seasonale studies at EVMS. This further reduces pregnancy risks and causes periods to be lighter than ever. Many of the women involved in the clinical trials had either very light periods, usually lasting two days during their week of placebo pills, or no periods at all, according to Malena. "

4

IANAD, but I believe that The Pill tricks the ol’ bod into thinking it’s pregnant just a little bit, so it doesn’t do the buildup it would otherwise. That’s why some Pill-takers have very light flow.

5

I do this too. I take my regular pill, and when I get to the placebo week, I just start the next pack immediately. I have a period every six months, by choice. I have suffered no ill effects, had no problems and my doctor was happy for me to take my BC pills in this manner. The period I do have (every six months) is slightly heavier, and lasts slightly longer, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the body does build some endometrium, though much reduced from a non-BC pill standard of reference.

I will soon stop taking the BC pill, but it has been nice to schedule my period for whatever time frame suited me, including ‘never’.

Consult your doctor before making changes to any medication regime, etc, yada yada, :slight_smile:

6

The clue to the answer for “why have I never heard of this before” is in the original post.

Your doctor is a woman.

She actually gives a damn about doing something to make the life of the female of our species easier, as opposed to making it work by the textbook.

I won’t let a colorblind person coordinate my house, I won’t let a hermit give me relationship advice, and I won’t let a person who has never had a uterus give me advice about mine. (Moot point now, but you get my drift.)

There are many concerned and caring men in the field of gynecology. Good for them. They weren’t there when I needed them. And no matter HOW good and caring they are, they DO NOT KNOW what it is like.

Good for you. Spread the knowledge.

7

WOW! Hurray for the women!!! We would not have dreamed of such a thing when I was a very young woman. Thanks for spreading the news!

8

I have experienced this joy for myself, and I am a happy girl indeed.

I, too, have endometriosis. After years of agony, and various doctors who either ignored me or told me to live with it, I finally found one who understood the problem.

She put me on Depo-Prevera. I haven’t had a period in almost three years. (I have had occasional light spotting, but nothing major.) Best of all, no pain and cramping!!!

FREE AT LAST! * HALLELUJAH! * It’s changed my life. I preach the Gospel of Depo to all of my friends. It’s the best garsh-dern thing since cheese in a can, I tell ya!

9

I beg to differ, or maybe I was just lucky and had an enlightened OB/GYN. Almost 30 years ago my (male type) doc told me to do this. I skipped the sugar pills for years until I decided to become pregnant.

10

I’d be too paranoid that I’d gotten pregnant while on the pill to do this.

11

Me too. That’s why I do a preggers test every second month. Works for me :slight_smile:

12

I’ve also heard of this, although I heard it from a male doctor. :slight_smile: Modern medicine is nice, isn’t it!

13

And doing that every other month is likely still cheaper than buying all the period paraphanalia every month!

14

I figured this out on my own many, many moons ago (pun not entirely intended). I reasoned that since the period only happens when I stop taking the “real” pills, what would happen if I just keep taking them?

Voila. I love it. I don’t do it constantly though; I too am afraid of getting pregnant and since my periods are light it’s not really a bother to have them. I take advantage of this “secret” knowledge when I am vacationing though.

15

I can’t believe no one said it:

period paraphanalia

so here goes.

Wait for it…

band name.

sigh

16

I saw a talk a while back by a scientist named Polly Matzinger. She works on the immune system, its recognition of self versus other. She has a model called the “Danger Model” which is really quite a revolutionary shift of paradigm.

She gave a very interesting talk, which was pretty informal and she spent most of the time talking off of the cuff. One of her hypotheses seeks to explain why women get autoimmune disease (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.) more than men. Her model proposes that antigens presented during menstruation act as a trigger.

So, in reference to the OP, she said that she had taken the pill straight through for 16 years (IIRC) from college upwards, and never showed any ill effects. She said that if she were ever diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, that would be the absolute first thing that she did.

Anyway, thought you might like ta know…

17

I don’t bother skipping periods most of the time simply because the pills are so damned expensive anyway…with the deductable, three months is 50 dollars, and if I can make 'em last three weeks longer, by God, I’m going to do it. Plus, getting my flow is a nice, comforting sign that, no, the Fates did not decide to screw me over, and that I have not gotten pregnant.

It is nice, though, to be able to skip a period over vacations and the like; more convenient for me and the SO, you see :).

18

I hate to hijack this thread but did you experience weight gain with Depo-Provera? I blubbered up to a size 14/16 while on Depo and it took me forever to lose the weight!

19

Considering the sarcastic remark my husband got from just buying a jar of petroleum jelly at the drugstore last time he was there (my last Pit thread, too lazy to link it atm - I needed it to remove waxing treatment that got stuck to my leg and wouldn’t rip off), I’m a bit leery of buying anything else that might potentially cause embarassment.

Then again, it might bring to light which nasty cashier it was who said that to him, and I might not be so inclined to just brush it off then. :smiley:

20

I had a temporary gain of two pounds, but it was gone in only a few weeks with no effort on my part. I have heard that some women have that side effect, but none of my friends or family that I convinced to go on Depo had that problem.