Ruffian -
In answer to your question about if you’re not ovulating, why should you have a period at all, the answer is:
There IS no reason! BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA
Seriously, here’s how to look at it:
For ovulation to occur & a pregnancy to result, a lot of things have to be just right. This is a lecture in med school that causes A LOT of eyes to glaze over, and results in a lot of decisions to be orthopedists. It is reasonable to think that for ovulation to occur, everything affecting your reproductive hormone levels & ovaries & uterus has to be ~98% perfect.
For periods to occur about once a month, things have to be ~90% perfect(this & all discussion assume no use of the Pill or other estrogens or progestins). In other words, just because you menstruate every month doesn’t necessarily mean you are ovulating.
For periods which occur irregularly, at least 1-2x/year, things have to be ~50% perfect. Most of these periods will not be preceded by ovulation, but even so, if a woman with few periods like this is sexually active & does not want a baby, she needs to use some form of birth control.
You have periods to shed the unused uterine lining because:
- A fresh lining is more likely to result in successful implantation of a developing baby.
- Continued growth of the uterine lining can lead to changes which ultimately cause endometrial (uterine) cancer.
In other words, if a woman’s body weren’t programmed to shed this lining every month, problems affecting her ability to reproduce could cause the human race to die out. Menstruation is necessary but not sufficient for human reproduction. There is no internal mechanism for turning it off just because ovulation is not occurring.
Why is it safe to skip the Pill for 7 days if it is not safe to skip even 1 day at another time?
The answer is that it all depends upon when in the cycle you skip the pill(s). Ovulation normally occurs ~14 days after the 1st day of the last period. Since the major way the Pill prevents pregnancy is by preventing ovulation, it stands to reason that missed pills in the first part of the cycle would be more likely to allow ovulation to occur than missed pills near the end of the 21 day active pill time. The 7 day gap in pill usage is designed to mimic what normally happens 14 days after ovulation without a pregnancy - a fall in estrogen & progestin levels which causes the uterine lining to slough off & leave the body. Ovulation would not be occuring during this part of the cycle anyway.
Public service announcement time:
IF you are taking the Pill for contraception, and are sexually active, be aware that many other medications can affect the ability of the Pill to prevent pregnancy. Anytime you are prescribed ANYTHING else, ask your doctor if the new prescription can make the Pill less effective. Certain antibiotics are well known to do this.
Sue from El Paso
Siamese Attack Puppet - Texas
Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.