Menstruation Is Fast Becoming Optional

May 22, 2006 09:51

By LINDA A. JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer ( Read more... )

contraception, menstruation, sex, women

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jopasm May 22 2006, 16:27:37 UTC
There's a couple of quotes in the article that make me wonder if some effects aren't heightened by birth control.

"Dr. Leslie Miller...points out women on hormonal contraception don't have real periods anyway, just withdrawal bleeding during the break from the hormone progestin."

and

"That schedule [21/7] was set by the original birth control designers to mimic normal menstrual cycles."

Taken together these imply that the "period" derived from stopping birth control isn't like a regular period and that, perhaps, there could stand to be a lot more research in this area regarding hormone balance. Maybe the "one size fits all" approach could be replaced with more tailored dosages. As I understand it, currently you basically have to just try different brands until you find the lowest effective dose for yourself.

Admittedly, it's not something I'll ever experience, but I have some friends who have had severe depression, panic attacks, etc as a result of hormonal birth control and it'd be nice to see the methods become more refined so you'd have options other than "deal with it or get pregnant".

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soda_raison May 23 2006, 02:22:59 UTC
Just like to add that although some woman do have severe depression/panic attacks whatever as a possible reaction to birth control, there are some woman like me who find that being on the pill reduces depression and anxiety symptoms greatly. Antidepressants and therapy didn't do the trick, but as soon as I got on the pill I was 'better'.

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