[vevans11]

My doctor recently gave me a new type of birth control because tricyclenlo was having a negative effect on my sex drive. I have only been taking these pills for a week or two, but I decided I didn't necessarily need to take them because I haven't been sexually active for several months. I should have started my period at least a week ago, but I haven't.
Is this normal, or should I be worried?

[Ashlee T.]

You shouldn't start taking, stop, start again, stop etc. This will really mess with your cycle. I'm sure that if you just started a new one, and have stopped taking it, your period will not be on it's normal schedule, you may not even have one at all this month.

I'm not a fan of the pill, but I do know it's not something you can just stop adn start whenever you become sexually active or your body will never really adjust to being on them or being off them.

Talk with your doctor about a diaphragm or a cervical cap. They're non hormonal, and only have to be used when you're having sex.

[kira]

It's very common for your period to be late or missing for even months at a time after stopping birth control. Exactly how much impact it has depends on how well your body responds to those specific forms of the hormones and how long you took it. Overall this does not do any harm in my opinion. I never suffered any problems by not having my period or throwing it off a little and don't know anyone else that has. However it's still best not to try to take birth control only when you are sexually active. For it to be truly effective it's best if you've been taking it for several months in a row. I was told it doesn't reach full effectiveness for 3 months even if the numbers are still higher than for barrier methods after the first month. At minimum I personally would not have unprotected sex without being on my second pack in a row. It also actually minimizes side effects to stay on it or not at all. The switching back and forth can lead to mood swings, acne, and random bleeding while your body continually tries to adjust the amount of hormones it needs to produce.