Skipping a Period
 

I am thinking of skipping my period this month- going straight from dark blue pills to white pills. I have never done this before, but I know that doctors have said it is safe to do for three months in a row.

The reason I am doing this is because basically any weekend we have a fun outdoor activity planned happens to be the weekend my period falls on.

Anyhow, is there anything I need to know or be precautious about? I have never really talked to anyone who has done this before.

Consult your doctor.

I think it depends somewhat on which pills you take if you can do this very easily. I know the one time I tried it I started bleeding after the 1st week of the second pack. I was just a few hours late taking a pill and I started immediately.

I think it has to do with the levels of hormones in the pills but I'm not positive. There is that one pill out now, Seasonal, that does this. Maybe you could try that this month. Or I would call planned parenthood and see if they can tell you based on the type of pills you take if it's feasible.

I tried that once. Same thing happened to me as Redgirl- I got my period for about a week and a half (the first week I started the new pack). I was so worried that I can screwed up my body and that maybe the pill didnt work effectivly for that month. I saw my doctor about a month later and asked her if it was ok to take my pill back to back like that, and she said yes there is no problems to do it once in awhile-however you need to ensure your body can handle it. She said depending on their hormones- some women get their period anyways (for a longer extent then usual).
My doctor did said it is perfectly safe (as I mentioned once in awhile) and even if you do get your period anyways- it causes no problems and the pill is still working properly.
Hope this helps!

Probably not

I've been on Depo, and it makes me skip my period for three months, basically. However, if you go off it, or toward the end, you start bleeding a ton and it lasts for a few weeks.

I read that it is perfectly safe to skip the placebo pills and in turn skip your period. I'm on depo and I haven't had my period for two and a half years. So a couple weeks shouldn't be a big deal.

Hmmmm..I would not do that my self.
What about depo shot that makes you not have a period at all.

That's just what it's supposed to do. It never allows your uterine lining to build up, so therefore you don't need to shed it (have a period). You just go in and get a shot every 3 months.

I tried it for 6 months but I didn't like it. I spotted the entire time and gained about 20 lbs. I went back to the pill and it took me years to get that fucking weight off!!

I'm waiting for the Seasonal pill to get cheaper, then I'm trying that. Right now it's about $30/mo and I pay $15/mo for pills. I can't really afford to double my BC expense right now. :(

Redgirl, what is the seasonal pill?

I pay $30/month for ortho-tricyclen as it is- tell me more!

i am on marvelon and i took it consecutively to skip a period and it worked wonders, no problems at all. my friend tried it with tri cyclen and it worked for her. she did it two or three months in a row though recently and now she hasn't gotten her period back, which is a bit freaky. but she had done in one month at a time many times before and it worked. although i have heard of girls trying it and it not working too....i would say give it a try and worst case scenario you'll be bleeding, which was the case in the beginning anyways, right? although if you want to do it not so carelssly, yeah it likely would be good to talk to the doctor.
i personally was wondering if anyone knows how safe it is to do this a couple months in a row. i have heard you can just keep doing it, but i'm not so sure about that. just wondering if anyone has heard of studies, etc.
good luck!

I just did that. I skipped my placebo pills and started a new pack because a period would've been inconvenient at the time. Since starting the new pack I've had no spotting whatsoever.

A friend of mine did this before her honeymoon. She consulted her doctor and she said it was perfectly safe for her to do it. You don't need to worry about a backup method.

I take seasonal. Before that I took my pills that way for 3 months at a time. Seasonal actually gives you 2 more weeks of pills than you'd end up with if you took the regular packs. It would be best to talk to your Dr but I'm finding more and more of the Dr's are encouraging skipping your period once in a while at least. The only problem comes in if your pills are of different dosages. Some BC pills start out with one ratio of progesterone/estrogen, change at the point where you'd normally ovulate, and then change once again before you get to the placebo pills. If yours are that type you could end up getting kind of off schedule. Also during the first 3 months or so you may experience some spotting. That is common. It just takes your body a while to realize it doesn't have to menstrate EVERY month. I love taking seasonal. I get migranes with my periods so I only have to deal with that 4 times a year and the medication for my migranes is about $15 per pill. Seasonale - that I take - runs about $120 Last time I checked. Which is comperable with regular BC perscriptions since you get three months worth at once. My pills before were about $30 a month. If you have insurance though they should probably help pay for that.

It should be perfectly safe to do this but I would suggest asking your Dr - she might actually give you some good suggestions or an even better prescription.

As far as how safe is it to go without periods consistantly - My Dr told me that so far they don't seem to have come up with any adverse problems with taking BC constantly and even skipping all your periods. You do continue to build up the lining in your uterous and if you do have a period though, the longer you wait, the heavier and longer the period will last. That's why my Dr suggests going 91 days at a time. My period last time was only about 5 days - not much different from normal.

AUGH WAY TO FREAK ME OUT!! When did you start the weight gain??? And did you eat normally?

Sorry, I'm on depo and I'm abnormally afraid of weight gain.

I just found my receipt from the last time I filled my seasonal. Our insurance pays for it mostly but their cost is listed. For 3 month's worth (91 days - 2 weeks longer than 3 month's worth of regular pills)of seasonale it's $110.48. That's about $442 a year for pills

I started gaining weight about a month after starting it. I think I had a pretty adverse reaction to it, though. I gained a total of 50 pounds- 4 years later I am still trying to lose it, and I took it for a total of 6 months. The later three months, I spotted pretty heavily for the entirity of the three months. I will never take that medication, and would never reccomend it to anyone. My advice is that if you start noticing any of this, talk to your doctor right away. Your doctor could probably determine if it was due to the depo, and help prevent/counteract it.

Didn't mean to scare you, just telling you to keep your eyes open. Most people don't have such an adverse reaction as mine.

You guys pay a lot for your ortho pills. I go to planned parenthood, buy the whole year up front, and pay $15/pack for them. When I used my insurance 1 year, I ended up paying more per pack out of pocket, plus I had to go get them every month from the pharmacy. What a pain in the ass! And from what Raeanna says, the Seasonal is even more expensive than what PP estimated to me. Maybe I'll try skipping my period again with the Ortho. That's not what I was taking all those years ago when I tried it the first time.

Anyway- my depo issues started a few months in, same as Rubyee. However, I also moved away to college right after I started it, so part of my weight gain might be attributed to the Freshmen 15. Only I gained like the Freshmen 40! One day I actually saw fucking stretchmarks appear on my ass, all red and ugly. I cried.

yeah.. i pay 36 for my pills :o

i'm thinking of going to planned parenthood after my year prescription is up.

as for weight gain, i've been taking the pills since january and i haven't experienced any weight gain. in fact, i lost 5 lbs. i don't think weight gain should really be that big of an issue if you continue to consciously control how much you eat and be aware of what you're eating and what's good for you. just don't pig out that much.

I got the shot once already. Nothing really major has happened, except at the end of the three months, I couldn't get the second shot so I started bleeding, and after about a month, I'm still bleeding. I had to start over and take the first shot again just last Saturday.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Sugar&Spice
[B]I just did that. I skipped my placebo pills and started a new pack because a period would've been inconvenient at the time. Since starting the new pack I've had no spotting whatsoever.

A friend of mine did this before her honeymoon. She consulted her doctor and she said it was perfectly safe for her to do it.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I did the same things for several vacations and for my honeymoon in Jamacia.

No problems at all. Esp. since I had been on the pill for several years prior.

Go for it. If you goof then there are ways to correct the situation.

Well, too late now, but I will do that next month. Trying new things with my BC always scares me, so thanks for all the advice!

I have another question, since we are on the subject.

I don't actually start my period until I am almost through my green pills- Thursday afternoon, usually. I used to start it Tuesday nights, then Wednesday, now Thursday.

Does this happen to anyone else?

I've been on Depo for almost three years and I don't think I experienced any of that. Well, actually I used to spot the last month before my shot was due again, but after a while that went away too. Now I am period free and baby free :)

Yeah that's fairly normal. Mine starts either Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. My roommate's start date is like clockwork, she has it timed down within the hour of when it will start. We are on different pills than you are; I'm guessing you're on the Tri-Cyclen pill, whereas both of us take the monophasic pill, but it just depends on the individual. So long as your period starts *sometime* during your placebo week, you're good to go.