why do women still go through monthly periods?

[winstonstimpson]

Unless TTC obviously.

I have always used condoms or the pill in the past as contraception which meant that I still had a period (or, in the case of the pill, something resembling one).

I am still bf my 9 month old DD2 and, so far, havent started my periods again tho expect to do so soon.

A couple of my friends no longer have periods due to either being on the mini pill or having contraceptive injections. They say that this is great and wouldn't go back to having a period. Neither had any difficulties with painful/irregular periods.

Am just wondering why women still have periods if they don't need to? Whilst I understand their position I am uncomfortable with the notion of putting a stop to them through the use of drugs but am I just buying into the concept that unless I have a monthly bleed that whilst not painful for me is sometimes a little inconvenient, I am not a proper woman? There is some feminist debate on this I know. One of my friends is single and doesn't have regular sex and so her decision is nothing to do with the contraceptive element (she still uses condoms with any sexual partner) and entirely based on a wish not to have a period.

Just interested really ....

I'd rather have a period then pump chemicals into myself.

same here

I wouldn't think anything of the bleeding=real woman, I've never had those sorts of contraceptions as my hormones are unpredictable enough as it is.

Agree with Belle, pumping chemicals in your body for no use? things are already bad enough with the amount of rubbish I eat...

If you don't have problem periods they really aren't that big a deal no matter how much we moan about them.

No hormonal contraception ever stopped me having periods, even running two packs of pills together so it wouldn't work for me anyway!
Plus I'm now not on anything and couldn't be happy - not altogether happy with all the hormones and chemicals when I think about it.

I've read that women on the pill in the US don't have a break-through bleed as they take the pill every day without the 7 day break - which I suppose makes the contraception more reliable as you don't have to remember to restart taking it.

I prefer not using any more chemicals on me too.

Because it's natural, and people think that natural is more important than convenient, apparently.

Also lots of people have bad side-effects and so couldn't have the mini-pill or the injection even if they wanted.

(I'm on the injection, it is great, modern medicine/science making me not get pregnant and making my life easier all in one)

On the mini pill I bleed every 2-3 weeks rather than just every month.
On the regular pill my blood pressure goes up (so no taking that and running several packets together).
I know too many people with bad side effects from the injection to go anywhere near it with a twelve foot bargepole.
And I feel generally a LOT better when not on hormonal contraception.

I do seem to get around 21 months off with each child (pregnancy plus breastfeeding) but I'm not keeping that up until I hit menopause.

And periods aren't that bad anyway (disclaimer: for me ; I know they can be pretty hideous for some women).

what are the risks or the side effects of the injection for instance? are they minor or significant or, for the moment, unknown?

Some women find that their fertility takes years to return after the last injection (which is a serious drawback if you do want to have children/have more children at some point). Other fairly common effects are weight gain, depression and loss of sex drive.

I will say that my sister used it quite happily for several years, so I know it works for plenty of women.

(obviously I don't know that it works for plenty of women because my sister used it happily -- I phrased that badly. I know that it's a verified fact that it works for plenty of women, and the fact that my sister used it quite happily is one example of that that is close to home for me even though I'm not keen on it for myself).

The nurse told me that people either love or hate the injection.

Because I suffer from depression and hormonal contraceptives are notorious for making depression worse.

Because hormonal contraceptives are awful for the environment.

Because I like to think that my body is behaving as it is meant to, and not altered by chemicals.

Because I like to know whether or not I am pregnant each month without waiting to start feeling sick (breakthrough bleeds on the pill are not actual periods and the presence of them does not indicate that conception hasn't occurred).

I wouldnt want all those hormones in my body.

Plus I am paranoid. If I didnt have a period I would convince myself I was pregnant and that is not a good place to be thanks very much!

Also you and your friends talk much more bout contraception that I do with mine.

having periods is a sign your body is working properly (if you are a woman of childbearing age)

my friend stopped having any for 2 years after a crash diet - very scary, she thought she'd lost her fertility.

i haven't had periods for years now, but have been pg/ BF...it is nice when (brifly) a period has shown up to say 'hello! you're still fertile..'

I started off on the combined pill when I was in my early 20s and took it for a few years. Since then I have just used condoms which have worked for me.

Just wondering whether having a period makes mee a novelty these days - clearly not!

SoV - well yes I suppose we have discussed it at some length tho I don't find that odd in itself.

I haven't used the pill for 8 years now and won't ever again. I hate putting all those hormones/chemicals into my body. I can't believe that stopping your body doing what it should naturally won't cause problems in later years. We used condoms until DH had a vasectomy last year.

I discuss contraception and all sorts with my close friends. Why wouldn't I?

Most of my friends are on 'the pill'. SIL started just before she got married (religious so no sex before) so that she wouldn't have her period on her honeymoon.

Why would I not discuss contraception? It's something we all have experience of and want to share advice etc. One of my friends said switching to the mini pill made her boobs bigger. Another recommended the injection to me and I am very pleased with it.

I have a period every three weeks and it lasts for ten days. Obviously this is not brilliant but I no longer want to mess my body around with hormones. 14 years on the pill, two successful pregnancies, one miscarriage and the horror that was my reaction to the contraceptive implant (I, experienced psychosis and suicidal ideation) I am now ready to let my body do what it is doing without intervention.

Because I like having them (I know I'm probably in a minority of one). They show me that things are still working OK...Yes, they are pretty heavy since having the DCs but I shall miss them when they stop.

I am reading Malcolm Gladwell's book What the Dog Saw and one of the chapters concerns the history of the pill and recent developments. It puts forward a strong argument for not having periods:

In 1986 Beverly Strassmann from the University of Michigan did research with an ancient tribe in Mali to look at what female biology might have been like in the millennia preceding the modern age. She found that the women she was studying menstruated about a hundred times in the their lifetime. Modern women will menstruate between four and five hundred times.

This means that women's bodies are being subjected to changes and stresses that they were not necessarily designed by evolution to handle.

Drs Coutinho and Segal, in their book (Is Menstruation Obsolete?), say incessant ovulation serves no purpose except to increase various health problems eg anaemia, endometriosis, fibroids.

Most serious is the argument that all this cell division (when a woman ovulates an egg literally bursts through the walls of her ovaries which then has to be healed by cells dividing and reproducing) means an increased chance of some cancers.

Some periods serve a useful purpose (as EdgarAllenPoe says) but for many they are just a source of pain and discomfort.

What the Dog Saw discusses the issues in quite a bit of depth and in an easy to read manner- I am finding it very interesting and thought provoking.

erm..surely we have more periods cause we are not subjected to hunger and perpetual pregnancy?