Considering Birth Control Pills To Regulate Monthly Periods

A: Women who take birth control pills do not menstruate. They bleed at a predictable time every month, but it is not menstruation. The reason that birth control pills are taken for 21 days with a break for a "period" is that the original manufacturers wanted to make birth control pills seem more natural. The other advantage is that having a "period" enables a woman to know that she is not pregnant.

A new birth control method, Seasonale, uses the same type of birth control pills as has been used in recent years, but takes a break for a period every three months instead of every month (once each season). Experts expect that this will be as safe as regular birth control pills, but the long-term safety has not been studied.

If a girl or woman wants a more regular period, she should have a medical exam to find out why her period is irregular. Some causes are serious, others are not. Vegetarian diets, eating disorders, and endocrine problems are just three of the many factors that can increase the likelihood of menstrual irregularity. Some girls and women find that taking vitamin B complex (such as B-50, which is 50 mg of different types of vitamin B) can help with menstrual irregularity as well as mood swings. This is an inexpensive and easy strategy to try.

All hormones, including birth control pills, have risks as well as benefits. Birth control pills take care of the symptom of irregular bleeding, and can be medically helpful for other reasons in addition to contraception, but they do not solve the problem of menstrual irregularity because they do not truly regulate menstruation.

Girls and women who want to avoid pregnancy but not let others know that they are sexually active may want to use the "regulate my period" justification for taking birth control pills. They may even believe it. Some health professionals seem to be confused about this as well. But, birth control pills are hormones that prevent menstruation, rather than regulate it.