Taking the pill with no breaks

[wrong-girl]

Basically Ive been on the pill for about 10 years, microgynon. About 5 years ago I decided to not have the 7 day break and never stopped. So for 5 years Ive had no periods.
Ive had smear tests in these 5 years and nothing has ever been abnormal. But to be honest Im to scared to tell my doctor/nurse
Is it dangerous to do this?

Thanks in advance

[LanaBear]

I haven't heard that it is dangerous, however, my Dr told me I shouldn't go more than 3 months without a period... I can't remember the why's though to be honest?

I would, however, be honest with your Dr. There is no harm in telling him the truth. I think it is important that he have an accurate representation of your medical/prescription history should anything happen.

[Jules9]

The period you have on the pill is fake and there is actually no medical reason to have a period when you are on the pill.

[Kallygirlie]

Many don’t realize that the period one has on BCP is not a REAL period; it’s actually withdrawal bleeding. Withdrawal bleeding is NOT necessary to maintain gynecologic health. Some women falsely believe that without a period, blood or other toxins may begin to build up. Although some claim that it's unnatural or harmful to manipulate a woman’s monthly cycle by completely stopping her period, in reality The "period" that occurs during 21 or 28-day combination birth control packs has no medical function other than reassuring a woman that she is not pregnant. After all, that is why the 7 day inactive pill was created. When BC was created, OTC pregnancy test were not available so the "fake period" was created to reasure the users. The only thing that really matters is that you never go more than 7 days without a pill. since you are not stopping then I see no harm. If you feel the need to tell your doc, then tell him

[wrong-girl]

I think I will tell my doctor. But feel much better after your reasurance. Thank you

[PharmD2B]

As some previous contributers have mentioned, the period you get while taking birth control is not a real period, but is what is called a "withdrawal bleed." This means that the inactive pills of your pack contain no hormones, and the lack of these hormones cause you to shed your uterine lining. However, when you're on birth control, your uterus doesn't build up it's lining that it normally would when becoming ready for potential implantation - it is much thinner. When a woman is not on birth control and the body senses that no implantation has occurred, menstruation is triggered to shed this thick lining so it can rebuild a fresh lining for the next chance for implantation of a fertilized egg. The lining when a patient takes birth control never becomes this thick, and therefore never has to be shed - it's thin enough that the lining won't ever be cut off from the blood supply it needs to be alive, nourished, nontoxic, etc. Various opinions are out there suggesting how often a person needs to menstruate, but no studies have shown that a healthy woman ever needs to get their period at all if they don't wish to conceive - and many cases, may be healthier not to. In fact, I'm in pharmacy school currently and will have my PharmD next year, and have not had my period for 5 months using Ocella (generic Yasmin) because it is healthier with my anemia and endometrial issues. However, you should definitely talk to your doctor about it - your past medical history and family history have a lot to do with whether or not you should take them continuously or not (for example, studies have shown oral contraception is protective against certain cancers in women such as endometrial, and may increase the likelihood of other types of cancer [side note - none of the studies showing a possible increase in breast cancer in connection with oral contraception have been conclusive - and the link between early pregnancy and abortion have the same kinds of correlation with breast cancer - personally, I'd rather choose not to get pregnant at all than be in the position to deal with an unwanted pregnancy, but that's just me on my soapbox...]). Chances are, taking them continuously is just fine, but letting yourself have these periods can sometimes help tell if you develop problems with your reproductive organs much earlier than without if you have a predisposition for a variety of reasons that only you and your doctor will know about. Don't be scared to tell your doctor or nurse you've been doing it, it's an important discussion - and if they ARE mad or give you a hard time instead of discussing what you'd like from your oral contraception, find a new doctor or nurse that cares enough to listen!