# The pill vs. Sex Drive **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 3, 2000, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-vs-sex-drive/14338 "2000-03-03T16:39:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lovelee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@lovelee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lovelee)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2000, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-vs-sex-drive/14338/21 "2000-03-04T02:43:00Z")
I forgot about that part: one libido enhancer that is psychological! Little hope of spawning! And isn’t that what it’s all about? ---
**Author:** ![Jeannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@Jeannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeannie)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2000, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-vs-sex-drive/14338/22 "2000-03-04T03:11:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by D Marie: > \*\*Hi, ladies… > I have a question. I’ve been reading in trashy women’s magazines about “skipping” your period by not taking the inactive pills in your pill prescription. In other words, I’m taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen, so I’d take all the blue active pills, and after taking the last one, I’d skip the green pills and go straight to a new package. In this way, I could avoid having a period for that particular month. > > This isn’t something I would want to do all the time, but it does seem like it would have its uses. Have any of you tried this? Is it safe? I get the idea it isn’t an uncommon practice.\*\* I did that last fall when I got married. I didn’t take six weeks of blues in a row, I just took them for a week longer than usual to get through the wedding week (got my monthly “curse” the Friday after the wedding). The only side effect I had was a more painful period than usual, and it seemed like there was heavier flow. However, that could have been because I was walking through Disney World and didn’t want to keep running to the bathroom. To any guys I might have grossed out just now…sorry 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2000, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-vs-sex-drive/14338/23 "2000-03-04T03:14:00Z")
I was on the pill from age 17 to 33 (about 16 years) and I _always_ had the sex drive of most men I know. I was horny **all** the time. I stopped taking the pill when I realized that, as a single person, preventing unwanted pregnancy was the least of my concerns and opted to go the condom route instead. Now that I’m not on the pill, I’ve noticed that my libido increases based on 2 things - when I’m having my period and when I’m actually seeing someone (which these days is rare to non-existent). Perhaps in my case it’s completely psychological, because my body doesn’t torture me by being super horny when there’s no one around to take care of it besides myself. * * * “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” - Anne Frank ---
**Author:** ![sorrel554](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@sorrel554](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sorrel554)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2000, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-vs-sex-drive/14338/24 "2000-03-04T22:45:00Z")
After I posted my question last night about period-skipping, I did some more looking around on-line. Apparently **M.K.** is correct that the triphasic pills don’t really allow you to do this, because the first week’s dose of hormones is less than the third active week’s. So even if you skip the greens, the drop in norgestimate is often enough to cause your period. Rats! Taking the pill doesn’t lessen my sex drive (that I’ve noticed), but having my period does. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2000, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-vs-sex-drive/14338/25 "2000-03-05T00:55:00Z")
There are different kinds of birth control pills. Some are higher in estrogen and some are higher in progesterone… some are phasic (different ingredients for different parts of the cycle). If you are having side effects like this, you should try a different type of pill. Ask you gynecologist or Planned Parenthood. Jill ---
**Author:** ![evilbeth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/evilbeth/32/2268_2.png) [@evilbeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilbeth)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2000, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-vs-sex-drive/14338/26 "2000-03-05T04:32:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by D Marie: > \*\*After I posted my question last night about period-skipping, I did some more looking around on-line. Apparently **M.K.** is correct that the triphasic pills don’t really allow you to do this, because the first week’s dose of hormones is less than the third active week’s. So even if you skip the greens, the drop in norgestimate is often enough to cause your period. > > Rats! Taking the pill doesn’t lessen my sex drive (that I’ve noticed), but having my period does.\*\* D MArie, I take tri-phasic pills and I have done this plenty of times with no break-through bleeding or getting a period anyway. I’ve never had any problems skipping. * * * I have a hobby. I have the world’s largest collection of seashells. I keep it scattered on beaches all over the world. Maybe you’ve seen some of it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-vs-sex-drive/14338.md?page=1)