{"id":21595,"date":"2023-05-15T07:59:10","date_gmt":"2023-05-15T05:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/?p=21595"},"modified":"2023-05-15T07:59:46","modified_gmt":"2023-05-15T05:59:46","slug":"intentionally-skipping-periods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/intentionally-skipping-periods\/","title":{"rendered":"Intentionally Skipping Periods: Pros and Cons"},"content":{"rendered":"

No matter what is said about the beauty of the female body, the wonder of the power to gestate life, the joys of womanhood\u2026 yes, it\u2019s all true \u2014 but sometimes periods can be extremely uncomfortable or inconvenient.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks to modern medicine, many women can now choose to skip their periods through hormonal birth control. If you\u2019re considering taking this step, or are wondering about how skipping your period impacts your body, here are the pros and cons of intentionally having fewer periods.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How Birth Control Pills Work<\/span><\/h2>\n

First, let\u2019s break down how hormonal birth control works and how you can use it to alter your menstrual cycle. Traditional birth control (such as the contraceptive skin patch, the vaginal ring, and estrogen-progestin birth control pills) essentially mimics a natural menstrual cycle. <\/span><\/p>\n

For example, there are 28 days of pills in a traditional pill pack. <\/span>However, only the first three weeks of pills have hormones that curb fertility, while the remaining week of pills are inactive. When you bleed on the fourth week of inactive pills, it\u2019s known as <\/span>withdrawal bleeding<\/span>, which is your body\u2019s reaction to pausing the hormones. Withdrawal bleeding is different from a normal period and isn\u2019t necessary for healthy bodily function. If you choose to get rid of it entirely there are two ways to do so:<\/span><\/p>\n

Extended-Use Birth Control<\/span><\/h3>\n

When you take active hormone pills for longer than the typical 21 days. You may take breaks from the hormones occasionally, which is when you have withdrawal bleeding.<\/span><\/p>\n

Continuous-Use Birth Control<\/span><\/h3>\n

When you take active hormones for a year with no breaks, thus avoiding any withdrawal bleeding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Other hormonal birth control methods that allow you to skip your period include vaginal ring (Nuvaring), an intrauterine device (IUD), and DMPA injection (Depo-Provera).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why You May Want To Skip Your Period<\/span><\/h2>\n

The reason behind your choice is highly individual. Even if your periods are fairly light, you may find them inconvenient for your lifestyle. Maybe you\u2019re an active military member on deployment or traveling in tropical countries with limited plumbing, or you\u2019re simply sick of having them. As long as your doctor says it\u2019s okay, it\u2019s up to you. But for some women, there might be other reasons why they want to skip their periods, such as:<\/span><\/p>\n