Is Skipping your Period On the Pill Really Safe?

By Mahak Arora - Updated: October 31, 2018

In this Article

Understanding How to Stop your Period with Birth Control Pills
Is it Bad to Skip your Period on the Pill?
Side Effects of Skipping Periods On The Pill

Is it bad to skip your period on the pill? If you fall in high risk groups, which include being over 35, being a smoker and a woman who suffers from high blood pressure, you should consult a doctor before going ahead.

One of the most commonly used ways to skip a period is by taking birth control pills. In fact, studies have shown that more than half the women on hormonal contraception resort to it as a method of rescheduling their period. The key question here is whether it’s actually safe to do so.

Understanding How to Stop your Period with Birth Control Pills

A birth control pill cycle is made to replicate the natural menstrual cycle, with each pack containing 28 pills or 21 pills. In the case of 28 pills, 21 are active pills that contain hormones while the remaining 7 are inactive and without hormones. When you’re finished with your active pills and start taking the inactive ones, that week of the cycle is characterised by withdrawal bleeding. If you want to skip your period, you need to avoid those inactive pills and start with another set of active pills right away. This means that you can control your menstrual cycle as and when you want to.

Is it Bad to Skip your Period on the Pill?

Some women like to skip a period for the matter of sheer convenience, while others might want to get rid of heavy, painful periods as well as related symptoms such as bloating, headaches, breast tenderness, and mood swings. But, what truly matters is the safety of hormonal pills for rescheduling a menstrual cycle. Before you think of using birth control to skip a period, you should speak to your doctor.

In case of women over 35, those suffering from hypertension and regular smokers, missing periods on birth control pills is not such a good idea because you may be susceptible to the risk of strokes, blood clots and even heart attacks. If you don’t fall in any of these risk groups, using birth control pills for delaying or missing a period is safe. However, not all doctors may be in favour of the idea of fidgeting with the natural menstrual cycle unless there’s an absolutely justified reason for doing so.

Side Effects of Skipping Periods On The Pill

While it is safe to skip your period on the pill from time to time and if you’re healthy, you may experience certain side effects. One of them is breakthrough bleeding, which is when spotting or bleeding between periods occurs. It can happen a few months after birth control pills are used and it gradually decreases over time. A complication may also occur in the form of difficulty detecting pregnancy if this happens during a missed cycle.

Aside from using birth control pills, skipping a period is also possible with a patch or a ring. You replace the aids after three weeks instead of going without them on the fourth week. As with the pill, you can speak with your gynae before trying it out.

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