Newly Approved Drug Eliminates Periods for Women

The FDA just approved the first birth-control pill that will stop women’s monthly periods for an indefinite length of time. This drug is called Lybrel and, when taken daily without a stop, will not only prevent pregnancy, but also periods.

Although this may sound tempting to some, my suggestion is to have a serious discussion with your doctor before trying it. This could be a great solution for women who have very hard periods, but there seems to be an increase in irregular bleeding and spotting, for some, up to a year. Some women have such severe symptoms, such as headaches, breast tenderness, cramps, bloating and nausea, that spotting sounds like a welcome relief. However, researchers did not look into whether these symptoms were relieved, actually.

The report on the study states that only about 1/3^rd of those who started the study completed it. Hm; those don’t seem like good odds to me! And the other problem is women who might become pregnant may not know for a longer time, because they won’t have the usual sign, missed periods, to tell them.

It is estimated that roughly 12 million American women take birth control pills. Many do so to prevent pregnancy, but others primarily want to regulate their monthly periods or resolve acne problems. There are several pills on the market that shorten periods to perhaps 3 days or less, and there is a shot, Depo-Provera, containing only progestin, that stops periods after several months in many women. For this product, it is felt that long-term use may thin bones.

And this brings up my biggest issue. This drug assumes that having a monthly period is a ‘condition’ that must be ‘treated’. The last I checked, this was a normal part of nature and life! No one really knows what happens to women after years of no periods, just as it has taken years to realize that Depo-Provera could cause thin bones. In other words, you could be in your 20’s, today and start this new pill and only find out the damage done to your bones, much less anything else, 30 years from now. We are experimenting on ourselves.

What is the answer? Do your research. Carry on informed discussions with your doctor, preferably one who specializes in women’s health issues. For some women, this could be a wonderful solution to a serious problem that is so bad that having periods negatively affects their ability to lead a normal life. But think hard about such a drug if you just don’t want to bother. What you subject your body to, today, may impact how you live, tomorrow.