Skipping Placebos for 3 months
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Skipping Placebos for 3 months
| Thu, 07-29-2004 - 10:35pm |
My university does not have Seasonale yet but I would like fewer periods. Is it ok to skips placebos for a couple months and then have a period (and then repeat)? Would Depo be better for what I want? -Munka

Skipping periods works best if you are on a monophasic pill, one that has the same dosage of hormones in all 21 active pills. If you are currently on an oral contraceptive (OC) that is working well for you I would try skipping on that pill. If you are not yet on an OC and you want to try skipping it would be best to find a pill that works well for you when used conventionally, 21/7. Then, after 3 or 4 cycles on that pill, after your body has adjusted to the hormones, you can try skipping.
While Depo is very effective as a contraceptive it can have some very harsh side effects, weight gain and irregular bleeding among them. Personally I would try and find a combined hormonal method before I tried Depo. If you're not on contraceptives now you might want to consider NuvaRing. It's a flexible vaginal ring worn for three weeks and removed for one for your period. It has the lowest dosage of estrogen of any combined method available in the U.S. (15mcg) and is very low maintenance. Let us know what you decide, ok?
Good luck,
Jill
There's nothing special about Seasonale, it's the exact same hormone combination as Nordette, another 28-day pill, but it was tested for a three month cycle and approved by the FDA and packaged as a three-month pack. You should, in theory, be able to skip with any monophasic pill, though some women will have more success than others (body chemistry).
Good luck!
Co-cl for Birth Control