Monday, April 23, 2007
Why do women on the Pill still get their period?
I will admit, I have once or twice wondered why women who take birth control pills still bleed once a month. Being a man I have wondered this only once or twice, but my sister the opinionated biologist has thought about it a lot. And, since the reasons are paternalistic and religious rather than scientific or medical, she is decidedly pissed off about them.
9 Comments:
By 
Escort81, at
Mon Apr 23, 11:02:00 PM:
George Costanza to his fiancee:
"I never know about your cycles!"
By SR, at
Tue Apr 24, 08:59:00 AM:
Looks like a business opportunity for a menses free pill.
By Prariepundit, at
Tue Apr 24, 10:57:00 AM:
Actually it was done for marketing purposes. The makers thought the pill would be more acceptable if the women had monthly proof that it was working. Since loss of periods is one of the first signs of pregnancy missing periods right after going on pills to prevent pregnancy was perceived as a poor selling point.
By K. Pablo, at
Tue Apr 24, 12:47:00 PM:
Not really my area of medical expertise, but oral contraceptives which suppress or attenuate menstrual periods definitely ARE available. I believe Yasmin is one.
By Christopher Chambers, at
Tue Apr 24, 01:57:00 PM:
Interesting post on BioBlog!
My question: there is actually something called the "Red Web Foundation?" Ha! Are they as nutty about menstruation as La Leche is about guerilla breast-feeding? Now ome of Tigerhawks's commentators mock folks for joining up with Al Gore, or helping Jimmy Carter build some affordable homes for poor people. I suppose the Red Web Foundation's much much much more "tasteful" (oops, sorry,I was channelling the Don Meredith-based character in the novel "North Dallas Forty," where he comments blithely about intercourse with a groupie during "that time...").
By 
, at
Tue Apr 24, 05:44:00 PM:
You thought about this once or twice more than I did.
By , at
Tue Apr 24, 08:28:00 PM:
All these women need is 7x12=4 extra hormonal pills year and they can shut down menstruation. They would take the hormonal pills instead of the seven placebos in the monthly kit. It's probably illegal for a doctor to prescribe them or a pharmacy to fill them, but it can be done.
By , at
Tue Apr 24, 08:29:00 PM:
By K. Pablo, at
Wed Apr 25, 08:25:00 AM:
Ah, here it is, for anyone still keeping track: Seasonale is an oral contraceptive that decreases the number of menstrual periods from 13 to 4 per year.
