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It's techincally called Period Suppression and it all started when I read this article in the September 2007 issue of Glamour magazine. The article had two different doctors facing off against each other, one arguing for suppression, and one arguing against.
First let's cover the argument against the idea. Christine Hitchcock, Ph.D., research associate, Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research, University of British Columbia in Vancouver makes three distinct points. 1st that periods are normal and ordinary and that we shouldn't be ashamed of what our body can do. 2nd is that the newest no-bleeding pill (at the time), Lybrel, didn't completely suppress bleeding in all women. 3rd is that the long-term effects of taking period suppression pills still hasn't been studied enough.
I won't address the 1st and 2nd parts of her argument (because I think they are kind of ridiculous), but as far as the 3rd part, the the period suppression supporter in the article, Leslie Miller, points out on her website NoPeriod.com that the original birth control dosages contained about 10,000 mcg of progestin and 150 mcg of estrogen, compared to the 100 to 1000 mcg of progestin and 20 mcg of estrogen that daily continuous use pills have now. So 40 years ago women were taking much much higher doses than we are today, and I haven't heard of any horrendous side effects yet, have you?
In her piece arguing for period suppression, Leslie Miller, M.D., clinical associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington states that she hasn't had her period in almost 12 years. Doesn't that sound glorious? Her argument succintly states that there is no medical reason any woman needs to have a period, unless she's trying to get pregnant. The last week of pills in the traditional 28-day pack are just sugar pills to help the user keep track of which pills they have taken, and when you skip those on a regular basis, your uterine lining will not build up, so you will have nothing to bleed out.
What originally got me was her argument that period suppression not only cleans up the messy side of things, but it can help with menstrual migrains, mood swings, reduce the risk of anemia and vaginal infections, and of course, eliminate those horrendous cramps I was enduring. It doesn't have to be expensive because all you have to do is ask your gynecologist for any low-dose oral contraceptive (and make sure and explain what you are planning to do). The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has said it is safe, and so far no published papers in scholarly journals have indicated that there is any danger.
Before I went in to see my gynecologist, I tried to arm myself with a little more information (from the internet of course). The only other arguments I could find against the idea stated that it could be dangerous because a woman could be pregnant and not know it (because she isn't having a period at all, and most women figure out they are pregnant because of a missed period) and then spend her time smoking and drinking and potentially harm her baby before she even knew she had one developing inside of her. This does not apply to me, as I do not ever smoke or drink, and I am not sexually active, so not only is there no chance of me harming my baby, there is no way to get impregenated in the first place.
Yes, it is more expensive over time because I have to buy more packs of pills, but Mr. Avocado is more than willing to pay for it. He LOVES Miss Avocado with no period, and I know he has tried to convince several of his guy friends to get their girlfriends to suppress theirs as well. I don't get really really tired for a week before like I used to, I don't have those weird mood swings where nothing can be done right, and I don't have those horrible horrible cramps that sometimes had me moaning in pain.
Anyone else a period suppression advocate? If you are going to argue against the idea, please go ahead and point me towards any scholarly criticism that can help change my ways. Those of you that say I am denying the very essence of my womanhood, you should know that I never felt very excited about being a woman when Aunt Flo was hanging around. I plan on having many many children to surround myself with in Poland someday, I plan to enjoy a few years without the monthly visit while I still can.
First let's cover the argument against the idea. Christine Hitchcock, Ph.D., research associate, Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research, University of British Columbia in Vancouver makes three distinct points. 1st that periods are normal and ordinary and that we shouldn't be ashamed of what our body can do. 2nd is that the newest no-bleeding pill (at the time), Lybrel, didn't completely suppress bleeding in all women. 3rd is that the long-term effects of taking period suppression pills still hasn't been studied enough.
I won't address the 1st and 2nd parts of her argument (because I think they are kind of ridiculous), but as far as the 3rd part, the the period suppression supporter in the article, Leslie Miller, points out on her website NoPeriod.com that the original birth control dosages contained about 10,000 mcg of progestin and 150 mcg of estrogen, compared to the 100 to 1000 mcg of progestin and 20 mcg of estrogen that daily continuous use pills have now. So 40 years ago women were taking much much higher doses than we are today, and I haven't heard of any horrendous side effects yet, have you?
In her piece arguing for period suppression, Leslie Miller, M.D., clinical associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington states that she hasn't had her period in almost 12 years. Doesn't that sound glorious? Her argument succintly states that there is no medical reason any woman needs to have a period, unless she's trying to get pregnant. The last week of pills in the traditional 28-day pack are just sugar pills to help the user keep track of which pills they have taken, and when you skip those on a regular basis, your uterine lining will not build up, so you will have nothing to bleed out.
What originally got me was her argument that period suppression not only cleans up the messy side of things, but it can help with menstrual migrains, mood swings, reduce the risk of anemia and vaginal infections, and of course, eliminate those horrendous cramps I was enduring. It doesn't have to be expensive because all you have to do is ask your gynecologist for any low-dose oral contraceptive (and make sure and explain what you are planning to do). The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has said it is safe, and so far no published papers in scholarly journals have indicated that there is any danger.
Before I went in to see my gynecologist, I tried to arm myself with a little more information (from the internet of course). The only other arguments I could find against the idea stated that it could be dangerous because a woman could be pregnant and not know it (because she isn't having a period at all, and most women figure out they are pregnant because of a missed period) and then spend her time smoking and drinking and potentially harm her baby before she even knew she had one developing inside of her. This does not apply to me, as I do not ever smoke or drink, and I am not sexually active, so not only is there no chance of me harming my baby, there is no way to get impregenated in the first place.
Yes, it is more expensive over time because I have to buy more packs of pills, but Mr. Avocado is more than willing to pay for it. He LOVES Miss Avocado with no period, and I know he has tried to convince several of his guy friends to get their girlfriends to suppress theirs as well. I don't get really really tired for a week before like I used to, I don't have those weird mood swings where nothing can be done right, and I don't have those horrible horrible cramps that sometimes had me moaning in pain.
Anyone else a period suppression advocate? If you are going to argue against the idea, please go ahead and point me towards any scholarly criticism that can help change my ways. Those of you that say I am denying the very essence of my womanhood, you should know that I never felt very excited about being a woman when Aunt Flo was hanging around. I plan on having many many children to surround myself with in Poland someday, I plan to enjoy a few years without the monthly visit while I still can.
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