AIBU to think that it's dangerous to stop your periods with bc?

[namechangedbcos]

An online acquaintance told me yesterday that she has not had her periods for several years, because she takes birth control every single day. She is on a combination pill of a synthetic oestrogen and progestogen, and she finds it liberating since she used to have terrible periods.

I told her that she ought not take birth control pills continously without a break, and women over 35 cannot use it without proper medical advice and she said I was being silly, says it's perfectly fine, because there is no reason to stop it after 21 days for your 'periods' to arrive, because it is really not the normal periods anyway.

We both met on a thyroid disorder forum, so yes, she already has hormonal problems. Aibu to think she is playing with fire just to free herself from Aunt flo?

As long as her doctor thinks it’s ok then YABU.

I do exactly the same as advised by my GP who specialises in women’s health.

The pill was designed to have a break in the pack mimicking a woman’s natural cycle to make it easier to be accepted back when it first came out.

I don't think she's doing it the right way, but my GP recently advised me to keep taking mine so that I only have 2-3 periods a year. I'm in my early 40s.

She said thinking had recently changed and because I've never had an issue with it, it was fine to continue in this way at my age. Mine's just the standard pill tho.

Your friend is right and YABU.
It’s not an actual period and I used to frequently do this as the GP said it was absolutely fine.

I have endometriosis so can’t have proper periods as it’s too painful.
I am on microgynon and take it continuously until I start to get spotting, then stop for a bleed. I have 3-4 bleeds a year- not painful.

Her doctor didn't advise her to take it continuosly. She is doing it on her own because she just does not want to be bothered with the blood flow every month. Side note, she also plans to come off it some time next year to start trying for a baby. She's 38 and that worries me.

She does not live in the UK, in her country it doesn't need a prescription, she just goes to the pharmacy and gets the pills.

I'm on a progesterone only pill which you take without a break between packets, and I haven't had a period in ages.

Taking the pill, especially later in life, has risks. Which I'm assuming she's discussed with her doctor. Mine told me that the break wasn't necessary so I carried on.

Okay so it's not a massive risk as I thought. Good to know!

The older she gets the riskier the pill is. She probably should see a doctor and chat. But the break isn't the issue.

My GP told me at my last appointment that recent research suggested it was actually more beneficial to skip periods on the pill, and only allow yourself to have one ever 3 or so months. I was querying it because I was going overseas at the time and was planning on skipping my period.

I was prescribed BC to stop my periods when I was 22. I came off at 27 and got pg very quickly. No need to worry, OP.

Your friend is mostly right. Withdrawal bleeds are not physiologically the same as periods. If you are taking hormonal contraceptives, then you are not having natural cycles and you are not having natural periods. Having a withdrawal bleed every month isn't necessary and only creates a false impression of being "more natural". It is simply a social convention.

Regardless of how you take the pill in relation to having withdrawal bleeds, regular oestrogen is known to increase the risk of endometrial and breast cancers, and a few other conditions such as stroke. But adding progesterone to oestrogen pills reduces these risks. There are some advantages to oestrogen too though, ask any woman who chooses to take HRT!

In relation to frequency of bleeding, I think there is a concern that taking an oestrogen based or combined contraceptive and then choosing to have no bleeding at all, may place a woman at increased risk of a condition called endometrial hyperplasia (and subsequently endometrial cancer). However, to mitigate this, its only recommended to bleed a few times per year. And I'm not sure how strong the evidence is for that recommendation - it may be purely speculative. I don't think there is any known impact on future fertility.

If you are taking a progesterone only contraceptive then the endometrial lining doesn't thicken, there is really no reason to avoid and no additional risks to not bleeding at all, and if I'm remembering right then the risk of endometrial cancers is actually lowered. Many women on a long acting progesterone only contraceptive have no periods at all, and that's totally fine.

I guess it's worth remembering that historically speaking, women used to be pregnant a lot more of the time. So they would have had more natural exposure to progesterone in particular and fewer periods than a modern women avoiding conception but having natural periods every month. If your friend was avoiding periods by being pregnant, you wouldn't assume that was going to reduce her fertility later on, would you?

I would avoid making any comments about this to your friend.

I did this for many years, mostly due to psychological issues around menstration. Since having two children, I’ve been on the mirena coil for 6 years and haven’t had a period with that either.

I'm on my third implant (in my arm), and have very few periods, it could be 6 months or longer between, and no medical professional has ever suggested to me the lack of them could be a health risk, and it has come up with a few (the DR who did my smear said that was typical for the implant). When I was on the mini pill years ago, it had no break for periods, you just took it every day until you wanted to come off it.

*Dr damn fat thumbs

365/365 pill taking - the John Guillebaud method - is becoming more widespread. See <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.ecotimecapsule.com/pagecontents/pdfs/contraception/article2.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjw9N-XzL7cAhVKLMAKHYBdDAsQFjAKegQIABAB&usg=AOvVaw31FDMDgVvqGKwzGinJfjJT" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.ecotimecapsule.com/pagecontents/pdfs/contraception/article2.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjw9N-XzL7cAhVKLMAKHYBdDAsQFjAKegQIABAB&usg=AOvVaw31FDMDgVvqGKwzGinJfjJT

I haven't had a period for years because I do this. I asked the nurse if it was ok and she said it was fine but that I might get some break through bleeding. I never have though.

When I was ttc and getting nowhere, I read up and from what I understand it takes about 3 months for the body to get back to its natural rythum. Anecdotally I read some women took up to 2 years to recover from bc. OTOH some women fall pregnant immediately.

Tbh I see nothing wrong with no bleed. It’s a fake bleed anyway. Taking the combined pill long term isn’t great though. However, it’s her body her choice.

I have a Mirena, and haven't had a period in 16 years lol.

Its wonderful

I was part of the first generation on the pill in the late sixties/seventies (yes I'm ancient) and I took the combined pill continuously as did most of my friends and my GP!
Came off the pill when TTC three months before my "perfect" date to start a pregnancy. Had one period and fell pregnant so DS1 was an April baby, not June as planned.
You don't have a period on the pill as you don't ovulate and the lining of the womb doesn't build up. If you take the combined pill then stopping it causes withdrawal bleeding which mimics a period. Apparently compliance by women when the pill was trialled was very poor. So many of them stopped taking it because they felt the periods were damming up inside them (or some such nonsense). It was decided to add an additional hormone to cause the withdrawal bleed and after that the pill took off big time.

Your friend is right.

Where did you go to medical school that allows you to give medical advice to people online? Your friend may be right or wrong, but regardless you are not qualified to be offering any medical advice.

I'm on the mini pill and I haven't had a period in years. I'm 27, have regular blood pressure checks and I don't want any more children so I'm not worried about that aspect of it.

Are you thinking that perhaps because it's 'nature' that women have periods and therefore shouldn't use hormones/pills etc to tinker with nature? Or something of a similar sentiment?