how comes u can hav a period if u r on the pill for 21 days and hav a 7 day break,?

Question

My girlfriend has recently started taking the pill which she takes for 21 days and has a 7 day break. I thought that by taking the pill it stops an egg from producing, so how comes in your 7 day break you can bleed, if there is no egg there, where and what does the blood come from. I understand the concept of taking the pill, in terms of that it thickens the lining of the womb to stop sperm fertilising the egg. but I also thought that it stops an egg from producing aswell. Is that true. Please try 2 answer in the simplest terms if possible.

Answer 1

I had asked my gyno about that once, and apparently the bleeding is not a "true" period. It is a simple sheding of the inside of the uterus. I hope that helps!

Answer 2

You are right, taken correctly the pill stops your girlfriend from ‘producing an egg’ (ovulating) each month.

In addition, the pill makes the secretions round her cervix thicker – making it more difficult for your sperm to get through. Also, they make the lining of her womb (the part that is shed as a period) thinner (not thicker as you thought), so that it is less welcoming to a fertilised egg.

Your girlfriends bleeding isn't actually a proper period, it's the 7 days without the hormones in her pill that cause her body to shed the thin lining (called endometrium just in case you were interested) .

It is possible for your girlfriend to not always have a period though, tell her to speak to her Doctor about taking some pill packs back-to-back.

You both might find this article interesteing... http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/ap_060522_menstrual_end.html

I hope this helps :o)

Answer 3

birth control usually has two components, estradiol and a form of progesterone. progesterone is a hormone that makes the body maintain pregnancy- so when you give the hormone, the body thinks the girl is pregnant so the girl's ovaries dont release an egg. and yeah it also does other stuff like thickening mucous so in the event the egg is released it wont attach. but they go on for 21 days and off for 7 days because if a woman withholds her period for months and months it puts her at high risk for uterine cancer and miscarriages. but if she were to skip those 7 pills and go right to the next month's pills she wouldnt have a period (dont tell her to do that though without a doctor's permission it doesnt work well with some types of birth control). plus if the pill fails and the woman does become pregnant it lets her know (if she never had a period she might go months without realizing she is pregnant) so she doesnt keep taking the pill as it can be harmful to the fetus. there are some birth controls now though (like seasonelle) that go for 3 months w/o a period

Answer 4

Well, thickening the lining of the womb is not the only thing pills do. They also create a hormonal phone similar to one of a pregnant woman - the egg is produced, but it can't be fertilized as the body "thinks" it's already impregnated.

Answer 5

It doesn't stop producing the eggs but it stops the sperm being able to get to them. You always get a bleed on the 7 day pill free, that is the point.

Answer 6

It doesn't keep you from producing eggs, it keeps you from releasing an egg from your ovaries. You already have all the eggs you will ever release when you have your first period. It basically tricks the body into thinking you are already pregnant and during the 7 day break, the body releases the unused thickened lining.

Answer 7

You need to actually do some research about the pill. Stop listening to your buddies. She will ALWAYS have a period while on the pill. That is why they have the 7 days of placebo pills. She will have her period. The pill won't stop that. Get over it.

Answer 8

your monthly cycle is also a cleansing cycle as the pills are hormone tablets that help mimick pregnacyto stop ovulation during the 7 day rest period is when you get anovulatory cycle so your system cleans itself from when it was preparing for a pregnacy it doesn't clean it would get toxic and can lead to endtriosis cancer, miscarriage etc. no egg no use for the lining the the regenerates each month.

Answer 9

Women ovulate even when on the pill. But the egg can't attach to the womb. that is why women still have their period when on the pill.

Answer 10

The way my doctor explained it to me was that you have 21 days worth of pills to make it a hostile enviroment meaning no baby. for the 7 no pill days when you bleed you cleanse your system. Seasonale (spelling?) makes it so you have 4 periods a year. but i don't know much about that pill.

Answer 11

She will still get a period with normal 21 or 28 day pills....the only ones that keep her from getting periods are those that promise that a woman will only have 4 periods per year when they take it.

Here is an article on birth control pills.
http://www.clevelandclinic.org/health/health-info/docs/0000/0032.asp?index=3977