Skipping Placebos for 3 months

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-29-2004
Skipping Placebos for 3 months
3
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
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Fri, 07-30-2004 - 12:29am
Hi Munka, welcome!

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

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-29-2004
Fri, 07-30-2004 - 12:44am
I'm currently on Ortho Tri Cyclen with no problems. I have a gyno exam next week so I have the opportunity to make a switch if it seems more appropriate. I have skipped one period every now and again with OTC, just didn't know if it was ok on a regular basis. I'll ask my doc about a monophasic pill. Thanks for your imput. -Munka
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Fri, 07-30-2004 - 8:07am
If everything else is good with Ortho Tri Cyclen, you might ask your doctor about switching to Ortho Cyclen--the dose is the same as the third week of OTC but it's the same for all 21 days. You may be more successful at skipping periods with Ortho Cyclen if you want to do a couple months consecutively (like Seasonale). I'd recommend talking to your doctor about what you'd like to do, I'd imagine s/he won't have any problem with it, but you want your doctor to be on board in case something goes amiss--you don't want an "I told you so" from the doc!

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!

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control