Having problems with message search?
If you want to have less menstrual periods you can do something about it. Start by reading this article. If you want to have more menstrual periods, well, then I'd say you have a different kind of problem. Dr. Rehert
University of Washington study examines putting end to periods
By Gina Kim
Seattle Times staff reporter
Sunday, January 12, 2003 - 12:00 a.m. Pacific
More than 40 years after the birth-control pill transformed the lives of women by giving them power over when and whether to have children, some doctors say women can take the revolution a step further: They can use the pill to rid themselves of the hassles of monthly menstruation.
Seattle Times staff reporter
Sunday, January 12, 2003 - 12:00 a.m. Pacific
More than 40 years after the birth-control pill transformed the lives of women by giving them power over when and whether to have children, some doctors say women can take the revolution a step further: They can use the pill to rid themselves of the hassles of monthly menstruation.
Diane Royal, 49, of Seattle, has been skipping her periods for almost six years.
"I don't have mood swings. I don't have the mess. I don't have cramps," she said. "It's just more convenient in my life not to have a period."
When she reached her 40s, Royal began having painful periods that were so heavy she was hesitant to leave home. She heard about skipping periods from a friend and talked to her doctor. "At first he was really skeptical," she recalled. "Then he started doing some research ... and said, 'Let's go ahead and try this.' "
For Royal, an artist and mother of three, continuous birth-control use has given her new options, even allowing her to home-school her youngest child. "It's great," said Royal. "It doesn't change my sexuality or my womanness. I'm still as feminine as I've always been."
"On their own, most women won't have a 28-day cycle," said Wayne Shields, president of the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, a nonprofit educational organization. "The whole premise of the 28-day cycle is something that was made up in the early '50s by a bunch of white guys." Most women take 21 days of pills and then stop or take sugar placebos for seven days. The drop in hormones causes the uterine lining to weaken and bleed lightly, a process called "withdrawal bleeding." But because the uterine lining never thickens, there's no actual need for it to be shed, she said.
Miller herself threw out a box of tampons a few years ago because it had collected so much dust in her bathroom. "First you skip a period because it's convenient. And then you start skipping them because you can," she said. "I experimented on myself. ... I did it and it worked and I thought, 'Oh, well, everyone should do this.' "
When she couldn't find any studies to support, or contradict, the practice, Miller decided to do some research. In 2001, she published a paper on 40 women who were taking pills to skip their periods every other month. They reported less fatigue and fewer side effects of menstruation than 40 women who took the pill as usual.
But, Miller said, there can be drawbacks to constant pill use. "The first six months, it's very common to have irregular bleeding," she said. And women would need more birth-control pills. A traditional pack costs about $30.
Some doctors believe there may be health benefits to decreasing the number of a woman's periods. A century ago, most women had about 50 periods during the course of their lives because they were pregnant more often, breast fed for up to two years (which stops bleeding) and died younger, Miller said. Today, most women have more than 450.
"Nature did not mean for you to have that many periods," Miller said. Studies have shown that women who have fewer pregnancies and breast feed less are at a higher risk of ovarian, uterine and breast cancers as well as endometriosis and uterine fibroid tumors, she said.
"This is not to say that continuous pills are going to prevent fibroids or endometriosis, but women who do use pills (the traditional way) decrease their chances of ovarian and uterine cancers," said Miller.
Now the "IQ" test. It is really a hand-eye-brain coordination test that I found on the Internet. I think you'll find it interesting and challenging. Email me your "first score." Dr. Rehert
(If it doesn't work, it means you don't have "Macromedia Shock Wave" on your computer.)
The above is not meant to be medical advice. Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc.
Best wishes. Dr. Rehert
Best wishes. Dr. Rehert
Offline 
Send Email