Something For the Honeez

Because this blog usually focuses on men's issues I thought I'd flip the script and do one for the ladies. It's time Paul's Poop became a forum for an open and frank discussion of menstruation. Believe it or not many women are using birth control to skip their periods altogether. This may seem like good news to the guys who won't have to deal with PMS or a week off from sex.


Using birth-control pills or other contraceptives to block periods is gaining popularity, particularly among young women, doctors say.

"I have a ton of young girls in college who are doing this," said Dr. Mindy Wiser-Estin, a gynecologist in Little Silver. "There's no reason you need a period."

Stephanie Sardinha, 22, hasn't had a period since she was 17. A college student in Lisbon Falls, Maine, Sardinha uses NuvaRing, a vaginal contraceptive ring. After the hormones run out in three weeks, she replaces the ring right away instead of following instructions to leave it out for a week to allow menstruation.

Such medical jury-rigging soon will be unnecessary. Already, the Seasonale birth-control pill limits periods to four a year. The first continuous-use birth-control pill, Lybrel, likely will soon be on the U.S. market, and drug companies are lining up other ways to limit or eliminate the period.

Sardinha says elimination of her periods has been great for her marriage, preventing monthly crankiness and improving her sex life.

"I would never go back," said Sardinha, who got the idea from her aunt, a nurse practitioner.

Most doctors say they don't think suppressing menstruation is riskier than regular long-term birth-control use, and one survey found a majority have prescribed contraception to prevent periods. Women have been using the pill for nearly half a century without significant problems, but some doctors want more research on long-term use.

Findings in surveys

The new methods should be popular among menstruating women. A non-scientific Web survey for the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals found at least two-thirds of the respondents are bothered by fatigue, heavy bleeding, "really bad cramps" and even anger. Nearly half said they would like to have no period at all or decide when to have one.

Two recent national surveys found about 1 in 5 women have used oral contraceptives to stop or skip their period.