New birth control pill produces only four periods a year

[Sharni]

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to rule in the next few weeks on whether to allow a new pill to be put on the market that will reduce the number of menstrual cycles women experience. Instead of having their periods once a month, women who take Seasonale would have only four periods a year — one in the spring, summer, fall and winter. Get it? Seasonale!

Doctors have long known that women who take birth control hormones do not menstruate. The reason that birth control pills are supposed to be taken for 21 days with a break for a period is that the original manufacturers wanted to make birth control pills seem more “natural.” They also knew that having a period allows a woman who is trying to avoid pregnancy know that she is not pregnant.

But today birth control pills already seem “natural.” And there are easy-to-use test kits to see if you are pregnant. So who needs menstruation?

While many women would like to be rid of the inconvenience of periods, should it be part of medicine’s job to help women time their births to fit a busy schedule or to get rid of a messy and sometimes painful monthly experience?

Like it or not, the answer seems clear: Say goodbye to menstruation!

Well get with the tablets production people!! I want some!!

[Cheyanne]

But... where does the icky stuff go????

[Sharni]

There would be no ikky stuff to go anywhere! *L

The normal monthly pill:

The combined pill is taken daily for 21 days, and then no pills, or, dummy pills without any hormones, are taken for 7 days to complete the 28-day cycle. You will have your period during the 7-day break without hormones.

The new pill:

I imagine will have no dummy pills...

[Lilith]

I used to take the pill straight for over 9 months. No cycle was bliss. I was heavily into sports in school and had figured out that if you don't take that one week and go straight into the next pack you can put off your cycle.

Drawback was/ is it made it very difficult for my cycle to return steadily so I had serious trouble getting pregnant afterwards. I think though that if you have one every 3 months or so you should be able to regain some regularity when needed.

Chey~ I understand what you are referring to. You are thinking that (Euw!) then you have 3 months of endometrial funk to deal with. For somereason it does not seem to work like that. I am not sure and am no Dr. but I think when you are on the pill you do not truly have a cycle at all so the build up is negligible beings that you have stopped ovulation. Just an idea!

[Cheyanne]

That makes sense..... **slaps down my overactive imagination**

I guess I was just thinking about 3 months without a period.... and then having the period for a month.... arggggggggggg.... that would have been my luck.... :eek:

[osuche]

But the real question for me is...

Do you still get the water weight gain, the food cravings, and the sex cravings (not that I mind that one)? If yes, then I'll just stick witht he monthly cycle.

Of course (except for gaining @7 lbs in water weight) I have really short and mild ones.