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March 2008 - Dr. Bonnie Wright
The issue of suppressing periods is a question of values and feelings
as much as science. We all have easy access to information about birth
control products, including the latest ones that can suppress your periods
for months or years at a time, but should women do this? It’s a
question that challenges our definition of ourselves as women and what
we hold near and dear in our hearts. So let’s do a little soul searching.
Our feelings about menstruation vary from it being the biggest nuisance
on the face of the earth to it being a celebrated spiritual renewal. Most
opinions fall somewhere in between these two extremes and the closer to
the middle of the road you are, the harder it is to use this dimension
as a deciding factor.
There are some women who are skeptical about the effectiveness of birth
control and so need to have their period every month just to know they’re
not pregnant and that their birth control method is working. If this is
true for you, long-term menstrual suppression isn’t for you because
you could spend a lot of money and time on pregnancy tests – “just
in case.”
For others, monthly periods are an excuse to avoid sex. If that’s
true, they need to slide on over to the sexuality and relationship literature
to figure out what their true inhibitions are and how to overcome them.
Periods shouldn’t inhibit sexual activity unless both partners find
the prospect unappealing aesthetically. A word of caution: periods aren’t
a safeguard against unprotected sex. Women can get pregnant while menstruating,
even though it’s rare.
There’s a fear that chemically suppressing periods can send hormone
levels on a roller coaster ride; however, it’s actually the other
way around. Suppressing ovulation usually evens out the hormonal fluctuations
that naturally occur during pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, pre-menopause
and PMS. Occasionally, a birth control product will cause hormonal swings
that you didn’t previously experience in which case, you may need
a different product.
Some research has indicated that suppression may decrease the risk of
ovarian cancer. This is because ovulation causes trauma to the ovary when
the egg sac ruptures, and this may trigger pre-cancerous changes to the
cells. With less frequent ovulation, the risk is reduced.
Although some women believe we shouldn’t interfere with nature by
suppressing periods, we’ve been interfering with menstrual cycles
for a long time by taking birth control pills and shortening or lengthening
cycles. The 28-day cycle was actually chosen for convenience because it
was easier to create a medication regime based on a weekly rotation than
an odd number of days that might be hard to remember. We also suppress
periods to treat things like endometriosis. Without long-term suppression,
women suffering from this condition would be in constant pain. Pregnancy
is the only time that suppression naturally occurs.
There is opinion that the true impacts of menstrual suppression aren’t
yet known and we should be cautious. No one can absolutely refute that.
We haven’t been doing this for donkeys’ years and have access
to many longitudinal studies to prove beyond any doubt that nothing negative
can happen. However, that can be said about many things that do more good
than harm. We also accept certain infrequent health risks every time we
take any medication, or undergo any surgical or dental procedure, etc.
So, as always, carry out due diligence. Review the pros and cons and discuss
them with your health care provider. But at the end of the day, only you
can search into your own soul, your value system and decide for yourself
what it means to be a woman and how that should manifest itself. In other
words, do what feels right for you.
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