Short Menses Rant
Right now I’m menstruating, and because of a discussion in whimsicalzephyr’s journal I was reminded of a while ago when I watched a program on birth control pills, and they said that when they were first designing how they would be used, they decided to set it up so women would take a break to menstruate because they felt women would be ‘put off’ of using them if it stopped them menstruating. That women could safely take them continuosly but they would not have periods. They felt women would see it as unhealthy or unnatural. Early studies showed continuous use to be just as healthy as taking that period break. I was so pissed when I saw that show, I had been on the pill in the past for an 11 year stretch, to think that whole time I could have been menstruation free, but no one gave me the choice! crazy! I hate it when ‘authorities’ make decisions about not offering a choice that should be offered. Why assume?
XO
L
January 26th, 2006 at 10:38 pm
Malcolm Gladwell wrote an article on the inventor of the birth control pill that discusses this story. http://www.gladwell.com/2000/2000_03_10_a_rock.htm
January 28th, 2006 at 5:25 pm
i started seasonale about 6 months ago and i only get my period once every 90 days… i do get some annoying “breakthrough” bleeding for about the last 30 days of the cycle but it’s easily handled with a pantyliner and no other symptoms come with it… i wonder if soon they will just come to terms with the idea that some of us could EASILY do without periods altogether and give us a pill for that - goddess knows, we’d pay for it - stupid bigpharma - they’ll figure it out sooner or later…
January 30th, 2006 at 5:36 am
I read over 20 years ago that ideally the pill should be used to simulate pregnancy - i.e. no menstruation for at least 9 months before a break for one month and then to repeat the cycle.