To be utterly outraged by this a month later?

[MaryBoBary]

Sorry if this has already been discussed - I did do a quick search but couldn’t find anything relevant.

I think it was around the end of January that it was announced that NICE guidelines were changing to inform women that the contraceptive pill can be taken every day, and the advised weekly break in week 4 was not actually necessary. The break was only advised in a failed attempt for the pill to be approved by the Pope for catholic’s to use.

I am still absolutely fuming and utterly disgusted that the advice I have been given for the last 12 years I have been on the pill was not based on medical fact or reason, but religion. Is it unreasonable to expect that medical advice is not influenced by religion?

I can not understand why there has not been an uproar about this. I think it is utterly outrageous and is there any other medical advice that isn’t based on scientific facts? Maybe it is just me feeling so angry about this, but I really hope not.

I read that when the pill was developed - by male scientists - they thought that women "would want to have a period" x 10000 and that's why it was designed that way.

I knew that 20 years ago and took mine continually for years. It was brilliant. I was very fucked off when at 35 my Dr said I was too old —and fat— for her to prescribe it anymore.

Sorry no one told you 😖

OTOH you might have been like my friend. She couldn’t take it back to back as it made her feel awful. Maybe assume that and you’ll feel a little less pissed off.

My doctor always told me there's no reason to have a period on the pill at all and I could decide if I wanted one or not, I didn't realise it was due to religion it was started to be honest and it's a bit shocking it would have to make the difference

I was told 20 years ago it was fine to take packs back to back. Sorry no one told you!

YANBU. That is outrageous!

I never knew it was about religion which i ridiculous. I haven't taken the pill for a long time but when I did I never use to have a break anyway. My doctor advised one holiday I was going on that coincided with a pill free week that it wasn't necessary so I just carried on always. The cost will defo soar for the nhs though if everyone on it now wants an extra 12 weeks of prescription per year.

i was told that i didnt need to have a break on the pill about 25+ years ago

I feel terrible when I take the pill back to back- like something is really messed up inside. I also like to see my period come so I know for sure I'm not pregnant (if I took a couple of pills late that pack or something).

Also... it makes it slightly cheaper if you've been on it nearly 20 years like me!!

I was told I could do this over 20 years ago. I used to do three packs and then a week's break.

I was definitely never told. I was told I should take a break once per month (which makes sense when the packets only have 21 days worth of pills) and to never go more than 3 months without a break. I’ve stuck to these rules all my adult life - running a couple of packs together if I was going on holiday etc but never more than 3.

Just recently my GP (female) told me to take 3 packs back to back. I didn’t ask if I could take more or not, I was just pleased that I didn’t have to deal with horrendous periods every month!

I had no idea religion came into it.

I know a few people who have run several packs into each other and then ended up with bleeding issues and had to come off, so I don't think it is anything to do with that.

Google John Rock. He was instrumental in the development of the pill in the 1960s. He was also a devout Catholic.

My doctor always told me I could take them without a break, that was 20 years ago.

What?!?!? I've never heard this and I'm 35!!!

It was also down to being able to make it look more natural by creating a fake period so that it was less off putting to consumers. Not sure who would fall for that though but a lot of women who take the pill don’t seem to understand how it works so I suppose it may work.

Most gynecologists seem to recommend a break after 3 packs for some reason? Sadly I'm also too old and fat for the combined pill now

@LovingLola yes I’ve read a lot about him while looking in to this more. I noticed a small article on the website of a newspaper but that’s been it. I haven’t seen it discussed on any news programmes on TV. I can’t help but wonder that if this was a medication for men, if it would be more widely publicised.

I was told
All friends and female relatives too

It's not quite that clear cut, I believe. It's true that it was originally a religious decision but there is supposed to be benefits to having the bleed every three packs, which is what most gynaecologists now advise.

I've always been told that I could run packs together if I wanted. I'm sorry that nobody told you. Perhaps they thought that letting you run three together for holidays was, in a roundabout way? Or maybe they were just crap.

I'd try and lose the rage though. It's not good for you to hold onto, as pithy as it sounds, and it's not going to give them any sleepless nights.

@Witchend that happened to me. Didnt know at the time that i have endometriosis so thats why my periods were always bad, but i went over a year once without a break, not on advice, and then became ill - at work - bled through all my clothing all lf a sudden and had to be sent home. Frightened me.

YANBU - completely ridiculous. I remember tentatively taking in continuous when I went travelling for a month and being lectured by my friends about how dangerous it was.

I then remember hearing that it was actual more healthy as you don't get the spikes in oestrogen which increase the chances of breast cancer.

Naturally obviously women would be mainly pregnant and or breastfeeding so wouldn't have the decades of periods which we do now. I'm not sure if there is some side effect to the pill which mitigates this effect though.

Apparently it's not just about the Pope, that bit's been blown out of proportion by the press: www.vice.com/en_uk/article/8xy9qk/the-truth-about-the-pope-rule-and-the-seven-day-contraceptive-pill-gap

Like others have said, it's not been a secret. I was doing it over 20 years ago.

@OwThatsGottaHurt but it's not a real period so that doesn't tell you if your pregnant or not.

I took them without a break for many years, no interest in having periods, what a nuisance (well, an occasional breakthrough bleed if I forgot a couple of pills in a busy time of my life). No scientific or medical reason not to.