Delaying Your Period with Birth Control

[Tasty_GA_Honey]

Do any of you ladies have any experiences you can share with delaying your period using your birth control pill (particularly a triphasic pill such as Ortho Tri-cyclen)?

I have a big trip coming up next week and would love more than anything to be period-free while I am away! I have been taking this pill for over a year with absolutely no problems whatsoever. I am on week three of the pack now, and I am feeling very tempted to skip week four (inactive pills) and move right on to week one of a new pack.

My friend said that her doctor actually recommended this to her to control her menstrual migraines. She said that she has been doing this consistently for quite a while without any problems (other than some mild spotting).

I've done a little research online, but I would love to hear thoughts and suggestions from real women....

 

[fire_breeze]

Do any of you ladies have any experiences you can share with delaying your period using your birth control pill (particularly a triphasic pill such as Ortho Tri-cyclen)?

I have a big trip coming up next week and would love more than anything to be period-free while I am away! I have been taking this pill for over a year with absolutely no problems whatsoever. I am on week three of the pack now, and I am feeling very tempted to skip week four (inactive pills) and move right on to week one of a new pack.

My friend said that her doctor actually recommended this to her to control her menstrual migraines. She said that she has been doing this consistently for quite a while without any problems (other than some mild spotting).

I've done a little research online, but I would love to hear thoughts and suggestions from real women....

When I was on the Pill, I occasionally did that with both Marvelon and Alesse, without any difficulties. I didn't have any symptoms whatsoever, and enjoyed some period-free months, usually in the summer or if I had a trip. In fact, I loved it, and no, no spotting either. If you take your Pill regularly, there is no reason why you shouldn't enjoy the occasional period free month. My doctor was the one who suggested it to me that I do it once every while.

However, and I hate to break this to you, you have to be on the monophasic Pill. If you're on a bi- or triphasic Pill, it may not work. As you are on the triphasic type, then to delay your period, you need to take it regularly, and then on week four (uterine shedding week) you take your next pack's week three. So essentially, you're taking week 3 pills twice.

This, this and this link may give you some additional information.

Oh, and bon voyage! Don't forget, we want pictures and details.

ETA: A more risky alternative is to get a prescription for a monophasic brand now, and instead of having your placebos, start the new pack right away. It may not work - but monophasic pills have the same level of hormones as the last week of a triphasic pack.

 

[Siren_Smiles]

You can do it with ortho tri cyclen but you stand a higher likelihood of having breakthrough bleeding or spotting. It's much easier on the monophasic pills like the last poster mentioned. I did it for all of my deployments without any trouble. Have you seen the ads for Seasonique? Its just b/c without the placebo pills each month.

 

[Bandit58]

I also have done it with the monophasic pills. The only side effect I had was very tender breasts by the end of the second pack, and my period when it came was normal.

I never did it for longer than 2 packs though.

 

[warrior queen]

I've been doing this for over 10 years with a monophasic pill, on the advice of my neurologist (yes, you read that correctly!)
I suffer from hormone-related cyclic migraines, and without fail once a month I would go down with debillitating migraines for 8 to 10 days. And I mean down - light sensitivity, extreme pain, throwing-up, etc.
After much searching for causes, we discovered that my migraines coincide directly with the rise and fall of oestrogen every cycle.
My neurologist consulted with my ob-gyn, and they decided to put me on a continuous active pill for 3 months, and then allow a period, to see if that would reduce my migraine frequency.
Heaven!
So, then they drew up a schedule, where I now only have 4 periods a year using the pill, and I have to get blood tests for hormone levels every 6 months.
So far I seem to have had no adverse effects from doing this, and my debilitating headaches occur much less frequently.
(I may be the only woman anticipating menopause, as my neurologist is suggesting that my migraines may stop altogether then!)