Controlling Your Menstrual Cycle

Mayo Clinic
Tuesday, 9 December 2003

A different way of taking birth control pills means women are deciding when and how often they menstruate. Instead of about once a month, periods can be timed to occur just four times a year or even postponed indefinitely.

The option of less frequent periods is welcome news for many women. Some women have health problems -- anemia, asthma, migraines or epilepsy -- made worse by their periods. For others, menstruation is painful and debilitating. And, menstruating can be a major inconvenience during vacations, athletic events or on the job.

Controlling menstrual cycles is a choice that women of any age can consider, says Rosalina Abboud, M.D., a Mayo Clinic gynecologist, in the December issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource. "Age isn't a limiting factor as long as the women are able to take oral contraceptives," she says.

Traditionally, women take oral contraceptives -- a combination of estrogen and progesterone -- for 21 days and then take a placebo for seven days. Menstrual bleeding occurs during the placebo week. Taking active pills longer postpones menstruation. Taking them continuously stops menstruation altogether.

Discuss your options with your doctor. For some women, oral contraceptives present risks, especially if you are older than 35 and smoke or have high blood pressure.

For more information, or to contact Mayo Clinic, see their website at: www.mayoclinic.org