I am wondering if you can skip the reminder birth control pills so u can skip your period . Is it safe to do?

Answer 1

You CAN skip the sugar pills and continue with your regular ones and yes you will miss your period.

However this should be discussed with your Doctor because it greatly increases your risk for side effects such as blood clots, and can sometimes have long term effects on your cycle.

If you do decided to do this I would recommend only backing your pills for 2 or 3 months at a time, and thus only getting 4 - 6 periods a year (kind of a tempting thought I know). Do be aware that you will be more prone to things like moodiness, weight gain and spotting when backing your pills.

I hope that helps you make and informed decision.

Answer 2

If you are on monophasic pills, where all the active pills are the same, then you can skip periods for up to three months at a time, by not taking the sugar pills - like Seasonale. It's okay to do it for one period without consulting your doctor, but if you want to do it more often, talk to your doctor, as they may want to lower the dosage as you don't have to cover a week off the hormones every month.

It's what I do. Only four periods a year, woohoo!
Check out www.fewerperiods.com for info.

While you are on hormonal birth control, the period you have once a month isn't a natural one like you have when you are not on the pill. It's merely a withdrawal bleed becasue your body isn't getting the hormones. No egg has been produced. The _only_ reason you bleed when on the pill, is because you stop taking the active pills once a month. There isn't actually any medical reason to have that break - what other medication tells you not to take it a quarter of the time! But women feel it's more "natural" to bleed once a month, and they like the reassurance that they aren't pregnant that monthly bleeding provides.

Answer 3

Yes it is safe to skip the green reminder pills and continue with your next month's pills to skip your period. However, if you are looking to have less periods in a year, I would look into some of the new methods they have out there right now that produce fewer periods. An example is a shot that they give you periodically and it only fives you four periods a year, or one every three months. Make sure you check with your doctor on your own body and what it can handle though, before you start taking all these pills which will in turn give you much more hormones in your body.

Answer 4

It sure is. However there are some birthcontrol pills that even if you miss the last row can cause break through bleeding. My daughter did not take the final row of the pills but use to start a new pack there may come a time however that this is no longer working and going to a different brand or even the Depo shot which you take once every 3 months will work best for you. And this information came from her Dr as well as my OB. As long as you have your cycle once a year its nothing to worry about unless you have underlying medical issues in the female reproductive area

Answer 5

This is from an article at Salon.com, a reputable news and culture website:


"Miller also points out that the periods women have on the traditional birth control pill hardly constitute true menstruation. "It's a fake period," she says, noting that the bleeding that happens on the pill has nothing to do with ovulation. Women on the pill only bleed each month because the placebos cause their hormones to change and their uterine lining to weaken.

In fact, when the pill was first developed in the 1950s, its inventors acknowledged that women taking the drug did not need to have periods every month. "In view of the ability of this compound to prevent menstrual bleeding as long as it is taken," wrote one of the pill's original developers in 1958, "a cycle of any desired length could be produced." The pill's makers settled on a monthly cycle -- 21 days of hormones, followed by seven days of placebos -- to mimic a woman's natural cycle. It was a decision guided more by public relations than medical science. If the pill produced a monthly cycle, they figured, women would be more comfortable taking the drug."

So, basically, there is no medical reason for you to take the placebo placeholders and have your period if you don't want to. In fact, if you suffer cramps or nausea, or if you find it annoying to waste perfectly good money on pads and tampons when you don't have to, or if you're anemic, I think it's pretty stupid to bother with it.

Answer 6

YEAP!!!! That's fine. I used to do it when I had a special occasion coming up - or through summer so I could go swimming ect. My doctor use to say it was safe to do it up to 3 times in a row, but not to make it common practise because that's not what the pill is for and if it is done frequently (skipping inactive pills) it may make it difficult to become pregnant later on down the track!!!! Goodluck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 7

Skipping the reminder pills will not skip your period. They are pills you take to stay in the habit of taking a pill everyday. I repeat...skipping your reminder pills will not skip your period. You will still get your period whether you take them or not.

Answer 8

Your period is necessary to your physical and emotional health. If you start messing with the natural balance of things you could have serious problems in the future. Your period is a good thing not a bad one. Although we are conditioned from birth to hate it. Good luck I hope my advice helps in some way.

Answer 9

You can you would have to start a new pack right away if you just wait you will still have your period this is safe but don't skip more than 3 months.

Answer 10

yes, actually you can even buy birth control pills that don't have any reminders. I know a number of women who have done exactly this for ... wow, over a decade now.