I seriously don't want my cycle this summer -- how to do this/is it safe?

[4kids4me]

Dh's had a vasectomy, so birth control isn't an issue, but I'd really like a summer free from my cycle. What options do I have, have you had experience with any of said options, and is this an unwise idea?

[SquirrellyMama]

I remember some girls in college did this. Instead of taking the week of birth control pills that you would normally take during your cycle you would just start on a new pack of birth control pills.

 

There may be something more sophisticated by now. I can't say I know how safe it is or for how long it would be safe.

 

Kelly

[Tammy]

but I wouldn't 'start' taking it now just for the summer.....not unless you have taken it before with no problems. The 'only' reason you have a period when taking the pill is to mimic your 'cycle'. It is not necessary to have a period if taking the pill..... I think it is funny how they are coming up with the 'quarterly' period pill.....I did that way back when.....

 

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[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

Take the lowest dose possible for the pill. That's what I've been doing for years. But don't stop and start continously. It takes some time for the body to adjust. The longer I take it the longer I can go without periods.

[mom4him]

Dh's had a vasectomy, so birth control isn't an issue, but I'd really like a summer free from my cycle. What options do I have, have you had experience with any of said options, and is this an unwise idea?

I would be careful with this as it could mess your hormones up. I would talk it over very carefully with your Dr.

[Greta]

My personal feelings are that any drug which can disrupt your hormones enough to stop your cycles is probably not safe. Your doctor may tell you something different. Doctors sometimes have a different definition of "safe" than I do.

 

Are you having problems that make your cycles particularly difficult or unbearable? If so, I would gently encourage you to get to the root cause of that, rather than trying to mask it with drugs. But this is just my personal approach, and I realize not everyone feels the same way.

[Matryoshka]

I know this is possible to do with the pill, but the risks of taking the pill go way up as you get older (mostly blood clots, I think). Also, I personally wouldn't mess with my hormones without a medical reason for doing so - I was on the pill for 5 years in my 20's and it seemed great then, but when I went off it took years for my body to get its own rhythm back. YMMV, of course.

[calandalsmom]

You can easily and safely do this with nuvaring by leaving the ring in place for 4 weeks and then replacing it with a new one.

 

My midwife advised me to do this and have 4 cycles a year.

[OnTheBrink]

I saw a commercial for some pill that is supposed to stop your cycle for 3 months at a time, giving you a period a quarter. I can't remember what it's called, though.

 

That said, I agree with GretaLynne.

[calandalsmom]

My personal feelings are that any drug which can disrupt your hormones enough to stop your cycles is probably not safe. Your doctor may tell you something different. Doctors sometimes have a different definition of "safe" than I do.

 

Are you having problems that make your cycles particularly difficult or unbearable? If so, I would gently encourage you to get to the root cause of that, rather than trying to mask it with drugs. But this is just my personal approach, and I realize not everyone feels the same way.

 

 

Its a pretty simple hormone manipulation- many of us dont cycle while breastfeeding. Women in modern time have far more cycles than they have historically. Let's face it, its a giant pain in the neck.

[Hannah]

Its a pretty simple hormone manipulation- many of us dont cycle while breastfeeding. Women in modern time have far more cycles than they have historically. Let's face it, its a giant pain in the neck.

 

 

Here's a very interesting article by Malcolm Gladwell writing in the The New Yorker magazineon this topic.

[LoriM]

Here's a very interesting article by Malcolm Gladwell writing in the The New Yorker magazineon this topic.

 

Thank you for sharing that wonderful article! I love Gladwell's writing, and found this article very informative (and a bit sad there at the end). I have a daughter marrying in January who is asking all the right questions about her BC options; I sent the link to her as a "must read." Oh, the things I've added to my life because of this forum...amazing.

[Greta]

Its a pretty simple hormone manipulation- many of us dont cycle while breastfeeding.

 

I was only referring to drugs which disrupt cycles, not natural events which do. ETA: Also, my admittedly limited understanding of human physiology leads me to believe that hormone manipulation is not at all a "simple" matter. You cannot disrupt the sex hormones without that having an effect on the body's other hormones, as they are all linked. Insulin and other growth hormones, thyroid hormones, etc. are all tied in with sex hormones. They are not distinct and separate systems, but an interdependent web.

 

Women in modern time have far more cycles than they have historically.

I absolutely agree with this, and it is something that I am concerned about for my own health. Having only one child is not "natural", and I believe probably not optimal for my health either. But I am extremely skeptical that drugs can safely mimic those *natural* phenomena (pregnancy and breastfeeding) which cause disruptions in cycles. Birth control pills, shots, etc. do not use human-identical hormones, so their full and long-term effects are very questionable to me.

 

Let's face it, its a giant pain in the neck.

My periods were certainly a giant pain in the neck when my bad lifestyle choices were throwing my body out of balance. Now that I have gotten better control of my health, I don't find them that troublesome at all. I actually enjoy charting my fertility signals and being aware of what is going on with my body. I find that it encourages me to take better care of myself and appreciate my health and my femininity.

 

YMMV. :001_smile:

Edited May 12, 2009 by GretaLynne

[rafiki]

.

[HeatherLynn]

Endometrial Ablasion. You can do a search here as well as it's been discussed before. I am so glad I had this done.

 

I also had this done 2.5 years ago. It stopped my periods completely for 2 years, now they are back to a 28 day cycle, but so manageable, where they weren't before.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

Endometrial Ablasion. You can do a search here as well as it's been discussed before. I am so glad I had this done.

 

My bf just had this done last Thursday. It was pretty painless. And the recovery?....well, she spent all the next day at an amusement park (ps kids field trip)!!

 

She is very happy!!

 

K

[Greta]

Here's a very interesting article by Malcolm Gladwell writing in the The New Yorker magazineon this topic.

 

That WAS a very interesting article! I can't claim to fully understand it though. I don't get the whole thing about using GnRHA to prevent the body from producing sex hormones the way it normally would, and then adding back artificial versions of the sex hormones. :confused: Is it not possible to use GnRHA in smaller doses, so that some natural hormone would still be produced? And why does no one talk about using bio-identical hormones? Also, I personally don't want to be a guinea pig for GnRHA. I wonder what sort of trials have been done with it so far.

 

Also, it talked about the pill being "wrongly" accused 45 years ago of causing blood clots. I'm confused because I thought this link had been pretty well established, not just 45 years ago, but in the years since then as well. My best friend ended up in the hospital with a life-threatening blood clot when she started the pill. Her doctor told her to never, ever use any sort of hormonal contraceptive again. I thought this was even among the warnings that come on the documents included with the pills. Am I missing something here?

[Liza Q]

Here's a very interesting article by Malcolm Gladwell writing in the The New Yorker magazineon this topic.

 

Thanks for this link- it made me cry.

[calandalsmom]

I was only referring to drugs which disrupt cycles, not natural events which do. ETA: Also, my admittedly limited understanding of human physiology leads me to believe that hormone manipulation is not at all a "simple" matter. You cannot disrupt the sex hormones without that having an effect on the body's other hormones, as they are all linked. Insulin and other growth hormones, thyroid hormones, etc. are all tied in with sex hormones. They are not distinct and separate systems, but an interdependent web.

 

I absolutely agree with this, and it is something that I am concerned about for my own health. Having only one child is not "natural", and I believe probably not optimal for my health either. But I am extremely skeptical that drugs can safely mimic those *natural* phenomena (pregnancy and breastfeeding) which cause disruptions in cycles. Birth control pills, shots, etc. do not use human-identical hormones, so their full and long-term effects are very questionable to me.

 

My periods were certainly a giant pain in the neck when my bad lifestyle choices were throwing my body out of balance. Now that I have gotten better control of my health, I don't find them that troublesome at all. I actually enjoy charting my fertility signals and being aware of what is going on with my body. I find that it encourages me to take better care of myself and appreciate my health and my femininity.

 

YMMV. :001_smile:

 

my dh is an endocrinologist. (PhD not MD) He is an expert. He wouldnt let me do anything risky because he'd be left with 3 homeschooled kids.:tongue_smilie: Today's contraceptives are pretty safe.

 

I eat a healthy diet and exercise fairly regularly. i get plenty of sleep. I limit consumption of caffeine and alchohol.

 

My period is still a PITA. I went thru a fertility awareness /NFP phase and Im not currently on any hormonal birth control now but there is certainly nothing particularly magical and special about bleeding every month. Especially if it involves a hormonal migraine or hormonally charged cystic acne.

Edited May 12, 2009 by calandalsmom

[Greta]

but there is certainly nothing particularly magical and special about bleeding every month. Especially if it involves a hormonal migraine or hormonally charged cystic acne.

 

No, I agree it's not magical or special. It's not even fun. But it is tolerable, and it's just part of life, and I think that *some* people do overreact to it (not accusing the OP or anyone else here of that, thinking of people I know IRL). I just think that we have it so easy today. Women in the past had it rough. With modern conveniences, we really have little to complain about, kwim?

 

That said, I am also not being flippant about the very serious problems that some women have associated with their cycles. The ones you mentioned, migraines and cystic acne, are ones that I myself suffered terribly from for many years. At points, I've also had heart palpitations, cramps as painful as giving birth, bleeding so prolonged and heavy that it caused anemia and prevented me from going out in public because I couldn't do so without great risk of an embarrassing mess. But I managed to get all of that under control with healthy lifestyle changes. I fully realize that most people would much rather pop a pill than have to make those kinds of changes. I get it. I'd rather do that too, actually! I'm just not convinced that's the best way to go about it.

 

Hey, maybe your dh can clear up my confusion about that article! :D

[SquirrellyMama]

My bf just had this done last Thursday. It was pretty painless. And the recovery?....well' date=' she spent all the next day at an amusement park (ps kids field trip)!!

 

She is very happy!!

 

K[/quote']

 

When I saw bf my first thought was boyfriend :001_huh: I was trying to figure that out until I got to the "she spent all the next day..." Then I figured out it was best friend. :lol:

 

Kelly

[4kids4me]

Thanks for the good replies and the link to the article, which I'm still reading. I'll talk to my doctor and see what she says. :)

[clane]

Endometrial Ablasion. You can do a search here as well as it's been discussed before. I am so glad I had this done.

 

I have been quite pleased with the results from my procedure.

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

I have been quite pleased with the results from my procedure.

 

I'll be getting it in July.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

When I saw bf my first thought was boyfriend :001_huh: I was trying to figure that out until I got to the "she spent all the next day..." Then I figured out it was best friend. :lol:

 

Kelly

 

LOL....I knew, just knew, SOMEBODY would think that.

Glad to give you a giggle. ;)

[Ginevra]

I eat a healthy diet and exercise fairly regularly. i get plenty of sleep. I limit consumption of caffeine and alchohol.

 

My period is still a PITA. I went thru a fertility awareness /NFP phase and Im not currently on any hormonal birth control now but there is certainly nothing particularly magical and special about bleeding every month. Especially if it involves a hormonal migraine or hormonally charged cystic acne.

 

This cracked me up ("nothing particularly magical" :lol:), and ITA. :iagree: For so many years I tried to stabalize my out-of-control hormones the natural way. Special diets, progesterone cream, a different progesterone cream because obviously, that one wasn't good enough :glare:, Vitex, EPO, all kinds of vitamins and supplements....everything! And I did fertility awareness for ten years. None of those machinations got my wacky hormones in balance. I reluctantly went on the pill. I had immediate relief of many hormone-induced problems and eventual relief of others. Honestly, if it is this simple to balance my hormones, not go into a psychotic rage once a month, not have a face peppered with zits, not have my head cleaved in two with headaches, not bleed, bleed, bleed like a sacraficial cow...I'll take it.

[cathmom]

The best quote from that article was "There's no way you can confuse suppression of ovulation with abstinence." I also wonder why all these male doctors want to "fix" women with their miracle drugs, just like they want to "fix" childbirth by doing c-sections and "fix" female problems by doing hysterectomies.