Soon, women can stop menstruating for months
This week, the Food and Drug Administration will give approval for a new birth control pill called Lybrel. It will join several other medications (Yaz, Loestrin 24, Seasonique) that blocks a woman's period for several months. The convenience factor is obvious, but what are the risks? And could there be actual benefits, since women used to have fewer periods because of multiple pregnancies and years of breastfeeding? Read the article, and look for more information to share with us.
8 comments:
Aniela 5959
As a female who has been on birth control for over 2 years now this article was a defenite interest of mine. Periods are really a simple pain in the butt. I am not planning on getting pregnant any time soon and therefore don't see the problem with supporessing my period. If the studies don't show any side effects that could be potentially harmful then I don't see the problem with period suppressing pills. In fact, they are more of a godsend. My only worry would be the long term effects on the reproductive system. We can't really test for that at this moment and therefore who knows if long term suppression could lower your chances of getting pregnant when you actually want to, or heaven forbid entirely barren. Even with that unknown, I still think suppression is a wonderful idea. Having a period does nothing for me, I don't plan on getting pregnant and therefore it is just a burden I have to walk around with for days at a time. This article has got me thinking that the next time I go in for my yearly check up, I am going to ask about switching.
Here is and article about long term effects and testosterone.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=35663
Sarah
4128
I always thought those pills that gave you only 4 periods a year, were a good idea, but I always thought their had to be some sort of health risks. I mean don't our bodies need to let it out? Isn't it a natural occurence that we shouldn't try to change? But if they have done many years of research and are proving that it doesn't cause any harmful side effects, than hey I'm all for it. Anything to make life easier. I know there are already some out on the market, but I wonder when they will become more popular? I would think that pretty soon, all women will be interested in them. It is a great idea that they need to get out there. I think just a lot of people don't really know too much about these pills, therefore they don't feel safe taking them.
here is a link for an article about seasonal periods...
www.womenlivingnaturally.com/articlepage
After reading this article, I became interested in Lybrel because I have been hesitant in taking birth control because a lot of my friends who take some form of it now say that it is kind of a pain. If you skip a pill or forget to take it your period is likely to happen off of schedule and could reoccur more than once in a month. Being a forgetful person, this would most likely happen way to often and the thought of having more than 1 period in a month doesn't sound too exciting. However, to avoid the painful process all together sounds wonderful. It's hard to imagine that getting rid of periods completely is healthy for a women's body because we are meant to have them for a reason. I also would like to know what would happen if you decided to stop birth control all together, would it be more bleeding or more painful? So as of know I am still deciding on refraining from taking the pill because altering hormones is something that does not seem right to me and I would rather have my body just go through the natural course it is currently on. On the other hand, it is amazing the scientific advances they are making in avoiding the menstruation cycle and making the female life a lot easier.
Here's another website discussing no more periods:
http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/backaches/l/aa062402a.htm
Loren 3875
J Aaron 8021
Depending on what I write, this may get awkward, mostly because I don't know what it's like to have a period. Although, in my opinion, I don't think women should do it. I don't think it's natural to stop something that just happens, whether it has purpose or not! I think it's really wrong. Well that's just my opinion, I really don't know how annoying periods are or how painful they can be, and it might be true that the pain over may be worth stopping, but until then! Anyone care to explain to me? haha
Lybrel approved!
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/22/health/main2838834.shtml?source=search_story
Aniela 5959
To J Aaron 8021:
I got my period when I was 11. A little young on average, but still ok. And let me tell you, ever since that day it has become a pain. A pure pain. There is no upside to a period. You are bleeding non stop for days at a time. You have to pay attention too so you know when you change your pad or tampon. If you play sports, DEAR LORD, I don't even want to go there. The uncomfortable feeling never ceases. And it's not just blood, it's gunky blood. It has chunks in it, a consistancy similar to eggs that haven't been cooked long enough. In a word: disgusting. You don't get a sense of female liberation, you know, "Yes! I'm finally a woman." It's more like, "Crap, this shit sucks." I personally used to get craps that had my lying on the floor in the hallway of my highschool waiting on the nurse to bring me a wheelchair. A friend of mine used to get insane stomach aches and throw up constantly when she got her period. We both went on birth control, A SAVIOR. No more cramping, perfectly timed periods, light, not as long, a godsend.
So take it from me. Birth control pills that supress periods are a WONDERFUL idea.
This sounds like a really good idea. I know, as these girls here do too, that periods are a pain. I have SEVERE cramps to the point where sometimes I have to skip school, and it's also very irregular.
But I do have one concern. If women suppress their periods, doesn't that mean that we're not letting out as much eggs? I mean, we're going from 12 periods a year to just 4! So for menopause, wouldn't we receive it MUCH later in life than women these days since every female is born with a certain number of eggs? And I wonder if that would have any sort of consequences.
Katherine 9805
Bryan 4270
I always wondered what it would be like to have a period, then I think of the times I had to be in the same room with either my two sisters or my mom or my girlfriend while they had they period. Hell. Cramps, aches, pains, cries and whatever else someone could associate with pain. I would have told you that I thought it was not good to stop a woman's period because it is unnatural, but I have come to understand why a woman would want to stop her peroid. Minus the cramps, aches, pains etc and you have a woman who can function more optimally. However, I fear for the long term effects that may or may not occur. Then again I am sure there are alot of drugs on the market that bring up the same problem. Woman have the right to choose if they want to take the pill or not. So whether you take the pill or not, it is nice to know there are advancements in the world of medicine happening everyday.
You know, we could just tell men to take a birthcontrol pill: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/93709/the_popularity_of_birth_control_for.html
Amira 7670
As of now, I am completely against this new birth control pill, and cannot believe that it has been approved by the FDA. I already have some worries about regular birth control pills and the side effects that may result from them. At one point, I was convinced that such pills are okay, and that science has become quite advanced, thus reducing the side effects. However, at the same time many of my married friends/the ones soon to be married do not take pills. They are all worried about the side effects - from blood clots in the brain and all over the body, to a the risk of having difficulties in producing a fetus.
The fact that this new pill completely suppresses the period all together really worries me. It just does not sound right going agains nature. I believe that our bodies function the way they do for a reason. If having periods were so unnecessary, I personally don't think God would have allowed our bodies to function that way. There must be benefits for women who have their periods, and suppressing such laws of nature may lead to severe side effects whether we see it now or later.
There are several options to preventing pregnancy other than completely suppressing one's period; thus I think more research should be done on such scientific advancements, rather than those that go against the basic laws of nature.
Below is a list of various birth control options from the FDA. I am not familiar with all of them, nor do I know the side effects. But, I personally never knew there were so many different options.
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1997/babytabl.html
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