What pill can you take to stop your period?

Answer 1

Current low dose Birth Control pills are very safe for most women. It is very unlikely skipping the period or the pill free week would change the safety of the pill. Birth control pills have been used by millions of women over the past 40 years. The first birth control pills contained about 10,000 mcg of progestin and 150 mcg of estrogen. The pills being recommended for every day or continuous use have only 100 to 1000 mcg of progestin and 20 mcg of estrogen. This is a huge drop in the dose needed for the pill to work. Taking the pill every day should be no different than taking them for only 3 weeks with one week off. The effects of the pill do not totally wear off in that week anyway. Taking the pill every day should not make the hormone levels build up any more than when you take them for only 3 weeks. However, you will be getting one more week of estrogen which could increase the overall estrogen effects and this is the reason to use only the lowest estrogen dose (20 mcg) for continuous or daily use. There are published papers about skipping periods and so far there have not been any safety problems. As a matter of fact it is possible the pill could work better to prevent pregnancy if it is taken every day instead of taking a week off each month. Remember taking a pill every day to prevent periods is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration and can only be done if you consult with your doctor.