OK to skip placebos on Seasonale?

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-15-2003
OK to skip placebos on Seasonale?
5
Thu, 06-17-2004 - 1:26am
I am on my sixth month of Seasonale and am about to start my placebos for my second pack next week. The first pack when I got my period it lasted more than a week, and I am going on a two week vacation starting the week after my placebos, so I don't want to still be on my period. Do you think it is safe to just skip the placebos and start my new pack right away? I know it's okay to do this with other BCPs but am hoping for some advice/info on the Seasonale! Thanks!
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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Thu, 06-17-2004 - 8:23am
Hi ladybugg1974, welcome!

I think it should be ok to skip the placebo pills and go to the actives in your next pack. The question is, will the mix of hormones in Seasonale allow you to go 6 months without irregular bleeding? I believe we had a poster who said she wanted to use Seasonale that way but we never heard if she did and if it worked. If you try, please let us know if it works for you.

Good luck!

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 06-17-2004 - 8:24am
Because of the dosing (that it's three months between periods), I think I'd get my doctor's opinion on this one. Six months is a long time to go between periods, and if you already bleed for more than a week when it's been three months, I can't imagine six!

What about skipping the last active week (moving your period to 2 weeks before your vacation)? It's not something you should do with a regular 28-day pack, but 11 weeks instead of 12 might be okay.

I'd check with your doctor on both counts! Good luck and enjoy your vacation!

Judie
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Judie Cl for Birth Control 
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2004
Thu, 06-17-2004 - 11:13am
You could also get creative with it and take however many weeks of active pills in your next pack you need to be covered for your vacation, then take a week off. you'd end up with a 10 or 11 week cycle when you take the remainder of the pills in the pack, but it's not like there's anything special or magical about the 13-week cycle, it's just something they picked.

but, yeah, you might want to clear it with your doctor 1st before you do a 6 month cycle. I do seem to remember something on the seasonale site mentioning that women could potentially skip as many periods as they wanted on seasonale, they just picked the 3 month cycle because it's well-tolerated.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 06-22-2004 - 10:28pm
Hi Jill,

I'm thinking of switching from Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo to Seasonale...

I read this thread but I was wondering if anyone here who has been on it could tell me their experience with it the good the bad etc.

Thanks so much!!


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"You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try." --Beverly Sills

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Tue, 06-22-2004 - 10:56pm
Hi Heidi, welcome!

Seasonale http://www.seasonale.com/ is very new (first generally available at the end of 2003) so as yet there is almost no long term use in the general population but it uses the same formulation of hormones as the standard 21/7 regimen pill Nordette. . Most of the comments from members who use or have tried Seasonale center on the long period of irregular bleeding that may be experienced when beginning Seasonale. One poster who was in a clinical trial loved it and couldn’t wait to get back on it and several members who have stuck it out for several extended cycles like it too. See: http://www.contraceptiononline.org/contrareport/article01.cfm?art=239 and http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12954519&dopt=Abstract and http://www.ivillagehealth.com/features/birthcontrolaz/pages/0,,601056_601060,00.html Let us know what you decide and how you do, ok?

Good luck,

      Jill