IT'S CALLED "the curse" for a reason. Since the dawn of womankind, women have dreaded their periods.
Instead of deciding what to wear based on mood and the occasion, during our period we women have to take into consideration a third factor--if I have an accident, will it show? White is best avoided in favor of red (the best choice), black or some other dark color.
And, except for the occasional lucky woman, most of us don't feel our best during our periods. With cramps, bloating and mood swings, it's far from
So it's not surprising that once science made it possible to time her period or avoid it altogether, womankind took notice.
It's been possible for women to skip their period since the birth control pill was invented, but many women shied away, worrying that there was something unnatural or even unsafe about missing periods.
In the last few years, the first pill specifically formulated for the purpose of decreasing the number of periods a woman has per year, Seasonale, has brought this possibility to the forefront of more women's minds.
But with it has come many questions, and much uncertainty.
It's a common misconception that the period has a cleansing effect. That somehow, the shedding of the uterine lining every month cleans the vagina and without it, we would be somehow dirty.
In actuality, women have periods in order to have babies. The uterine lining prepares itself every month for an embryo to implant and a baby to grow. If no embryo makes its way to the uterus, this lining is shed, and the whole process starts all over again. It's as simple as that.
The vagina does have mechanisms to keep itself healthy, but the monthly period is not part of this process. Think about it, if periods were necessary for vaginal cleanliness, then young girls and postmenopausal women would have very unclean vaginas, something we know is not the case.
But periods do serve another useful purpose. They let a woman know whether she is pregnant every month, a very reassuring function for most women. Without a period to count on, we'd have no way of knowing if a pregnancy has occurred until the pregnancy is very far along.
In fact, this is really the only reason why women have periods on birth control pills. The first birth control pill manufacturers produced a pill with seven hormone-free days in order to artificially produce a period every month--not because it was biologically necessary, but because it makes us feel better. We can rest assured each month that we're not pregnant, and that all is right with the world.
There are even some scientists who believe that today's women have too many periods. Before effective birth control, women were pregnant or breast feeding for much of their reproductive life. A period every month was more the exception than the rule.
Today, at least in the Western world, many women postpone childbearing or forgo it altogether. They have a period every month for, in some cases, 40 years.
Studies have found that women who have children later in life or who forgo childbearing altogether are at greater risk for ovarian cancer. This is believed to be due to repeated repair of the ovary, made necessary by the repeated damage caused by ovulation.
Birth control pills prevent ovulation, and, not surprisingly, decrease the risk of ovarian cancer as a result.
Good scientific studies have been done to look at the risk of skipping periods using hormonal birth control, and there has been no evidence to suggest that any significant harm will result from doing so.
Having fewer periods is probably sounding good to many of you, and you're hopefully feeling less scared about permanently harming yourself in some way. So, what do you do?
Periods happen when estrogen builds up the lining of the uterus. Throw in some progesterone for a couple weeks and then remove both hormones. A few days later, a period results.
If you never remove the hormones, you can postpone a period indefinitely.
So, if a woman continuously takes the active hormone pills instead of taking the inert pills (these are the different colored ones at the end of the birth control pack), she can control when she has a period.
The same thing can be accomplished using the birth control patch or ring. Instead of removing them every four weeks, a woman can continuously use the patch or ring to avoid a period.
There's not enough room in this column to go into more detail about how to skip periods using contraceptives, so I would recommend that any woman who wants to skip her period in this way check with her healthcare provider for specifics.
And, even though there's been no evidence of serious side effects, there are some nuisance ones. Breakthrough bleeding (spotting or bleeding that occurs unpredictably) is more likely to occur when using continuous hormonal contraception than when not, and some women report just not feeling right taking birth control every day without a break.
Also, women who are not using continuous contraceptives and are not having periods should consult their healthcare provider. There are circumstances where the lack of a period can lead to serious consequences, and of course, pregnancy is always a possible cause of missed periods for sexually active, reproductive-aged women, especially those not using effective birth control.
It may not be for everyone, but skipping periods using hormonal contraception is a nice, safe option for women who really want to avoid a period during a special occasion, a vacation, for no particular reason at all, or for women whose periods make their lives truly miserable.
DR. ARLENE LEWIS welcomes reader comments and questions. She can be reached by writing to her at Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va., 22401 or by e-mail at
Email: newsroom@freelancestar.com.
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DR. ARLENE LEWIS is a gynecologist in private practice at Thrive! Health and Wellness Center for Women in Fredericksburg. |