Is it ok health-wise for women to go on and off the pill every few months? Isn’t it better to stay on it regularly until you want to get preggers?
Next question: I’ve heard it has become popular in the west for some women to skip their cycle altogether by staying on the pill, for months and even years at a time. What’s the story on that?
The world would be a much better place if they used Cosmopolitan as a prescribed text at school. 
It’s (apparently) not unhealthy to skip your cycle. I skip whenever I’m off to Thailand or have something interesting planned. You can also shuffle it around so you always start on a Monday or any day that will guarantee trouble-free weekends.
But going on and off the Pill might not be such a good idea. Your whole system will have to adjust hormonally every time you go off. You should consult a doctor before you go on any new kind of Pill, too.
Definitely not a good idea to go on and off the pill. It will screw up the hormones in the body.
According to this article going on and off the pill is generally OK. That said, ‘every few months’ sounds too often to me, and I would never do it, personally, because the pill does have a big hormonal impact, as has been mentioned.
Skipping a period now and again is definitely fine, and this article suggests it might even be OK long-term.
Also, it’s good to know there are several different kinds of pill. Progesterone only is easier on the body, slightly less effective, and must be taken at the same time every day - usually for women who can’t take the combined oestrogen/progesterone pill for reasons such as blood pressure or breastfeeding. There are three generations of combined pill - first, second and third in decreasing doses of hormone. The second-generation pill is the most widely available. The third-generation ‘low-dose’ pills (which have been shown to have no drop in effectiveness) are really good for women who find the second-gen ones to have too many side effects (nausea, bloating). They haven’t been around that long, so the second-gen ones are the current medically recommended standard.
However, I did some research recently to try and remember which brands of low-dose pill were available and discovered they have been associated with a slightly higher risk of blood clots (above the already elevated risk of blood clots on any combined pill). The increased stroke risk is comparable - very slightly lower than second-gen pills. So it’s probably only a good option if the side effects of the standard pill are severe, and that will vary with the individual.
Some pharmacies and doctors recommend that you stay on it for eight months and then take a month off. Many woman find that their period is less and less every month, if you stay on the pill for years at a time you may end up having no blood at all. I’m not sure that’s at all healthy.
JeffG, is no blood a problem? Sounds like heaven to me. I once didn’t menstruate for about 4 years on the injection. Lovely…
As I am not a woman I could be completely wrong about this. I thought having blood was a good thing as then you were getting rid of bad things inside your body. Please educate me! 
WHY DON’T YOU JUST SHUT the hell UP AND GO ON THE MALE PILL!
There are fewer side effects!
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/836436.stm
:bluemad:
SOOOOOOO RUDE!
Just joking, before you get me wrong. But really…this doesn’t need five years of clinical trials IN AFRICA!
I mean, what clinical trials has genetically modified food undergone before entering the food chain of 70% of American food products.
Pissssssses me off.
[quote=“Alien”]WHY DON’T YOU JUST SHUT the hell UP AND GO ON THE MALE PILL!
There are fewer side effects!
news.BBC.co.uk/1/hi/health/836436.stm
:bluemad:
SOOOOOOO RUDE!
Just joking, before you get me wrong. But really…this doesn’t need five years of clinical trials IN AFRICA! [/quote]
Are we surprised? But it needs trialling one way or the other.
In Africa.
I’d love it if there were a male pill with no side effects.
I’ll second that, if there were really a male pill and it actually worked with no side effects I’d take it in a heart beat.
What’s wrong with tests in Africa? If you read the article you’ll see that it has actually been tested elsewhere, but those tests seem to have been completed.
From the article…
About the bleeding…you don’t NEED to bleed. An injection like Depo Provera means that no eggs are produced, there is no extra lining formed in the uterus (in preparation for pregnancy)…so no need to get rid of any “bad” stuff.
Like with any drug, some women may experience side-effects.
But still…that’s my kinda drug…
You’re right, I didn’t read all of it. Any criticism is withdrawn.
Some women gain the pounds when on the pill… well that why some of my friends in college did not do it… and I know one case of where another friend put the pounds on… had plenty of unpretected sex with her boyfriend wiothout having the bun in the oven though
My friends hated the cramps but the the fear of gaining weight was a deterent in using the pill
One side effect of the mini pill was clotting (thrombosis) as found out by one of my friends… she had clotting in her leg ( not the DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS type)
Then she went off it and her period’s were all over the place
I think when you go on and off it confuses the body… one month or time you are letting it to nature… then you are letting it to the pill
Don’t like the pill and have never and never will ask my wife to take it…people are already pushing too many pills down their throats… you got vitamins, cold and flu pills , Iron pills, slimming pills, protein pills, make me whiter pills etc etc. 
People must have been destitute before pills… how did we ever survive?? 
Surely the most harmful side effect would be people forgetting about, or disregarding, the risk of aids and other stds.
As for no blood, my girlfriend’s roomate in uni was an all-american cross-country runner, totally fanatical, with not a speck of fat on her. She had no period for years as a result, although I don’t think I would describe her as healthy.
IUD
Surely the most harmful side effect would be people forgetting about, or disregarding, the risk of aids and other stds.[/quote]
Yeah, that’s not a real big concern for me anymore. 
Surely the most harmful side effect would be people forgetting about, or disregarding, the risk of aids and other stds.[/quote]
Yeah, that’s not a real big concern for me anymore. [/quote]
That’s what you think. 
So that wasn’t the new UFO-shaped Pez dispenser.