What do you think about only having four periods a year?

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  Posted by Thu Nov 20, 2008 5:12pm PST

  Anthropologically, most women would not have had more than 10 periods from puberty to menopause. However, one must factor in that they would have started their periods at 16, gotten married, had a baby, breastfed, had another baby, breastfed, and on and on, until the advent of birth control when women did take control of their cycles and pregnancies.

  The 28 days that women are supposed to cycle is actually an arbitrary number and can differ in most women. We as women should maybe take a look at our reproductive history and take more control over our bodies.

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  Posted by MeghanF Thu Nov 20, 2008 5:27pm PST

  I took seasonale in the hopes that it would allow me to have less days lost due to cramps, because without birth control I was useless at least three days a month and in so much pain I was probably doing damage to my kidneys from the amount of painkillers i was taking. Not only did having less periods limit the number of days I have to deal with a period, but the cramps have gotten so much lighter even on the months I do get one. For me its been the best thing I ever did, and I don't miss those extra 8 periods at all, three months comes by pretty fast!

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  Posted by mememe Thu Nov 20, 2008 5:43pm PST

  I discussed with my doctor the same idea, would having only 4 periods a year be natural- would it harm my body to have so few? He said (as vampytrix addressed above) that in the past, women had fewer periods over their lifetimes because they spent more time pregnant and breastfeeding and that having so many periods as women do today might not be good for the body. As with so many issues in medicine and health, it is a bit of an unknown and up for debate. I take Seasonique and love it ... although if I take a pill late (say 9PM when I should have had it at 9AM) I will spend the next few days or week with a light period, I don't remember that happening with my old monthly pills (tri-levelin), they seemed a bit more forgiving of a late pill.

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  Posted by shutterbug Thu Nov 20, 2008 6:23pm PST

  I have been doing the 4 period thing for a few years now. I love it. I know my husband does because he doesn't have to deal my PMS every month :)

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  Posted by Thu Nov 20, 2008 6:46pm PST

  Btw, you don't need special birth control pills to only have four periods per year you can do it with regular pills as long as they aren't tri-cyclic. Any of the monophasic pills can be taken back to back I've been doing it for years on the advice of my doctor.

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  Posted by fools_and_sages Thu Nov 20, 2008 7:37pm PST

  Some of us don't need pills to cut the cycles down to 4 per year. For some of us, it just happens naturally. And, when my body decides it need a couple extras, I hate nature for it. I find menstruating disgusting, inconvenient, uncomfortable, and limiting. I'd get rid of the "plumbing" entirely, if I could.

  I'm 38 and I don't want kids. I honestly feel that women who don't want kids should have the right to choose elective sterilization. But my health insurance won't cover an "elective" hysterectomy or any other "elective" sterilization procedure. I also think it's sexist that insurance covers Viagra and Cialis (the erectile dysfunction pills) but many companies won't cover birth control pills and other forms of contraception, including surgery.

  Apparently, men have the right to reproduce even after their bodies have told them it's time to stop having sex but women who don't want kids are doomed to deal with shouldering the responsibility of pregnancy prevention because most guys can't use a condom correctly (or won't use one at all). How is that fair?

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  Posted by MissUnderstanding Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:17pm PST

  I just take a regular BC pill and I skip the placebo pills altogether. I never have a period. I freaking hate them and I don't have time. My Dr. assured me that since the pill prevents the build up of the uterine lining, there is nothing I need to shed. It is safe and I love it. Periods are a total waste of time and energy.

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  Posted by itsallaboutska Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:17pm PST

  I've never been a fan of the pill...probably because I know I wouldn't remember to take it at the same time everyday. My doctor and I agreed on the Depo-Provera shot, which totally eliminates your menstrual cycle all together! (some spotting occasionally). I couldn't be happier. I was skeptical at first, but my doctor assured me that it's totally fine not getting a period anymore. :] It's one shot every 3 months.

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  Posted by Angela Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:20pm PST

  I think the 4 periods a year thing is great. I wish I could do it. I've tried to do it. I've tried various kind of oral birth control methods and most recently, NuvaRing, but I haven't been able to tolerate any of them. I have all the side effects, especially the bad ones like increased heart rate and swelling that are risks for stroke and blood clots. (I've also gained weight with every method I've tried, even though they all say that won't happen.) Recently, a nurse midwife suggested that one of the shot systems might work for me, but I was afraid to try that, because I didn't know what I would do if I showed symptoms of stroke or blood clots with a shot that lasted 3 months.

  Those are my concerns about the safety of birth control pills. My best friend had a seizure disorder a child. She was seizure free for 10 years UNTIL she started taking oral contraceptives, then had two seizures. After stopping the pills, she's never had another since. A lady my mother worked with had a mini stroke from birth control pills. I don't know what brand she was using, but it was only a few years ago, and the lady was only 34.

  I don't think it's stopping or limiting periods that causes this. For me and for my friend, we both have other health issues that likely contributed to our difficulties with taking the pill. But my period is a nightmare, and I wish I could find help.

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  Posted by __A_YAHOO_USER__ Fri Nov 21, 2008 5:04am PST

  How many medications have come out in the last few years & then had to be recalled because of bad long term effects? Yes, I worry that interrupting the natural process could lead to major complications down the road. No, I don't put blind faith into anything doctors say. I also wonder about continual spotting caused by these pills. I mean, really, I don't want to trade a monthly intense cycle for a constant light period.

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