Why take inactive birth control pills?

Question

I have been on Seasonale for a year now, and lately I've been wondering this. What is the point of taking the inactive pills? Why do you need them? Besides to tell if you're pregnant or not, I really don't see any point in taking them. I've heard of women skipping them and not having periods for years, so is there any harm in this?

Another question... does Seasonale cause acne? Cause lately I've been breaking out

no, that's not what i meant. like, if you skip the inactive pills and then go straight to the next month and miss a period, is that okay? cause the whole "pill period" (with or without placebo pills) is basically bleeding as a side effect from the withdraw of hormones, and i dont see any reason to do this

Answer 1

Ok..here is the lowdown on the inactive birth control pill. Sure, they are beneficial to help keep you in the habit of taking your pills, but actually this time off from the estrogen/progestin found in the active pill is critical. The estrogen in birth control pills causes your endometrium to grow every month before a period. When you take birth control pills and do not take time off from the active hormone, then your endometrium keeps building upon itself, putting you at a much higher risk of developing endometriosis or uterian cancer. After 3 months, it is recommended that any woman with an intact uterus shed this lining by having a period, even if it is only for a few days.
Also, birth control pills can up your chance of developing blood clots and stroke, so it is also best to shed your uterine lining in case any clots could be forming.

As for the acne, Seasonale contains one of the most androgenic progestins in a birth control pill out there. I believe that it contains levonorgestrol, which can cause androgenic side effects such as acne, progressive weight gain (not cyclic weight gain, which is just weight gain seen with your menstrual cycle), and hair loss. If you are experiencing any of these side effects, talk to your doctor about perhaps using a different birth control pill with a progestin that has the least amount of androgenic side effects. My suggestion would be Yaz, since it has a lower dose of both estrogen and progestin, and contains a progestin called drospirenone, which actually helps against weight gain and acne. Also, Yaz is good because the series of inactive pills is only 4 days and causes you to have shorter, lighter periods than the typical 7 days.

Answer 2

Inactive Birth Control Pills

Answer 3

The inactive pills are placebos to keep you on a regular schedule. You don't need to take the inactive ones, but you need to still follow the daily pill order because the active pills are designed to work on specific times in the estrogen/progesterone cycle.

Seasonale is a new drug that is sort of aslow release, three-month version of the Pill. Similar to the effect of using a constant-dosage formulation and skipping the placebo weeks for three months, Seasonale gives the benefit of less frequent periods, at the potential drawback of breakthrough bleeding. Seasonique is another version in which the placebo week every three months is replaced with a week of low-dose estrogen.

Answer 4

I believe that the inactive pills in birth control are just placebo's that you take just to keep yourself in the habit of taking them.

Some people have reported severe acne as a side effect

Answer 5

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RE:
Why take inactive birth control pills?
I have been on Seasonale for a year now, and lately I've been wondering this. What is the point of taking the inactive pills? Why do you need them? Besides to tell if you're pregnant or not, I really don't see any point in taking them. I've heard of women skipping them and not...

Answer 6

when youre on BC you don't have a real period, its just a reaction to the hormones. the 3 weeks of the active pills have progesterone in them (and other hormones) which keep your ovaries from releasing the egg. in the week of the inactive pills, you arent getting those hormone supplements, so you have your "period." it's my understanding that the inactive pills are just there to keep you in the habit of taking your pill every day.

you should check with a doctor for this question before you make a decision about taking or not taking the inactive pills.

Answer 7

Most of the inactive pills are placebos. In some brands of birth control however there is iron in them.

Answer 8

I thought that many birth control pills prevented acne...but I'm not sure of that one. The reason you take inactive birth control pills is so you stay in the habit of taking them. If you didn't get those and just didn't take any pills during that span, it is more likely that you'll forget.

Answer 9

they're just placebos (fake pills) i never take mine, never have, never will. although some doctors really want you to take them because they normally contain iron and you can be a little low on iron when your bleeding.