Will birth control make my period stop?
By Amy @ Planned Parenthood | Aug. 10, 2010, 11:37 a.m.
Category: Ask the Experts, Birth Control
if I get on birth control will i stop getting my period?
It depends on what kind of birth control you use and how you use it. In general, women who use the IUD, patch, pill, or ring will have menstrual periods every month. Women who take the shot may not have periods often or at all while they use the method. Some women use combined-hormone methods — the pill and the vaginal ring — to skip periods.
Combination pills, for example, usually come in 28-day packs and are taken without interruption. The first 21 pills in the pack are called “active” — they contain hormones that prevent pregnancy. The last seven pills in the pack are called “reminder” pills. They’re inactive placebos that do not contain hormones. They’re taken during the fourth week to let a woman have her period and to help her keep the habit of taking a pill on a regular basis.
Some women choose to skip placebo pills and go right into the next pack to avoid having a period continuously or during certain events — like their vacations, for example. They may still experience some spotting — light bleeding — when they do this.
Tags: menstruation, periods, birth control