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Originally Posted by irishawk I don't know if you have any pre-existing conditions, but if you're a normal, healthy woman it's ok to skip periods. When you're on birth control you're having what's called a synthetic period. It is NOT a REAL period. The only reason why birth control pills were designed with that week of sugar pills was so that women felt more "natural" and comfortable taking them when they first came on the market. We always joke that men definetly came up with that idea! I work at a pharmaceutical company and one of my responsibilities is to be the hormonal contraceptive "expert" so I'm not just making this stuff up! However, I'm not a doctor so definetly talk to your doctor first before making any changes to your pills.
BUT the way it works when you skip periods is that you go for 2 full months without taking the last row of your pill pack. On the 3rd month you take the last row and because your body has a break from the hormone pills you have a synthetic period. You can do it for different lengths of time, but essentially that's how it works. |
I don't know where you got your information from, but having a period on birth control is not a synthetic period. You still release an egg, you still shed your uterus... it's a real period. I'm a Nursing student and have several friends who are OB/GYN's and med students.
Birth control itself increases your risk for cancer. Skipping periods increases the risk even further. Birth control pills such as Depo Provera or drugs of that nature which decrease (or eliminate) the amount of periods you have on an annual basis are very bad for you. Just because a drug is on the market does not, in any way, mean that it is safe. Yes it has passed through FDA, but they could still have long term side effects like cancer.
What you do is your choice, but I would never recommend skipping periods for "convenience."
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For whoever asked about Yasmin being the pill that causes you to only have your period every 3 months - it's not. It's just a different mix of hormones which decreases PMS symptoms like moodiness, cramps, and weight gain. But... everyone is different, each pill will work for some and not for others.