201621_small
Reputation: 560

Could I take the pill every other month? or would that kind of variance just wreck my body?

I hate taking the pill, and the longer I'm on it the more side effects pile up. I'm wondering if i could take it for a month, then take a 1 month break (with alternative safe sex practices of course), or if this would kill/ impregnate me for sure.

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6 Answers

  • Horse_ass2_small
    Reputation: 751

    This sounds terrifying.

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  • Sacri_ordines_by_charism_small
    Reputation: 3723

    Not a great idea to stop and start hormones of any sort: though it IS a good idea to just plain stop taking hormones/ hormone controlling drugs (which might be what your body's begging for).

    Is it possible to use alternative Birth Control methods? (just stay away from Yaz)

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  • 2008_0522stuff0016_small
    Reputation: 2031

    Do you ever want to have (more) kids? If the answer is no and you can't tolerate hormones and want better reliability than barrier methods, have you considered sterilization? You can do it surgically or via Essure, or your partner can be vasectomized.

    Otherwise, you're best off with condoms (male and female), cervical caps, diaphragms, or spermicides instead of cycling on and off hormones, especially if you don't tolerate them well.

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  • Tomato_small
    Reputation: 1045

    Please do not do this. Generally the Pill takes several weeks/cycles to level your cycle, so many side effects may subside after you find the right pill. So, if you are on and off the Pill, you are never going to feel right and the side effects will never get better. Plus, the spotting can be constant.

    If you just hate the Pill in general, consider trying a different form of BC. If you are careful and not completely adverse to the theoretical chance of a pregnancy, try condoms with an extra squirt of spermacide. If you are able to track when you ovulate, you can use condoms most of the time, and condoms plus the sponge (do they still make that?) or a diaphram when you're ovulating. It's fairly obvious to many women when they ovulate (Google mittelschmerz), but if not for you you can track your temperature or just estimate when your egg might drop.

    If your weight is fairly steady, try an IUD (but remember if you lose or gain a bunch of weight, your baby will be born clutching that thing in his tiny angry fist). Or, there is always prayer (this one doesn't work).

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  • Kk_small
    Reputation: 154

    It's a bad idea. In order for the pill to be as effective as possible (99.whatever percent), you need to take a pill around the same time everyday for at least 14 days. If you don't take it regularly, or skip a month, then start a new pack, you won't be protected from day 1. Until day 14 you would need to use a back-up method anyway, so essentially, you would only getting half a 28-day cycle's worth of pill-only protection. And half of THAT time, you'll be on your period (in theory).

    If side effects are the issue, ask your doc about switching brands. There are SO many kinds nowadays that use different kinds and levels of hormones, so it might take awhile to find your favorite, but odds are, one will work for you. Or ask about switching to an alternate birth control method (like IUDs).

    Please don't attempt to regulate your own birth control pill cycle...it's not a good idea!

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  • Shack_small
    Reputation: 583

    Have you tried different variations of the pill, or have you only tried taking one kind? Some women find they have to try several different formulations before they find one that works well for them.

    Or, find a different kind of birth control that might work better for you. Depo, Norplant, NuvaRing, the Patch, strict condom use, etc. The IUD is getting popular again, and this might work for you, but you should read into the side effects; and it's recommended more for women who have already had kids because otherwise insertion can be really painful.

    Going off and on the BCP every other month sounds like a pretty crummy idea, although I don't know how truly dangerous it might be. When you first start taking the pill, or if you've missed more than 2 days in a row, you're supposed to wait for ~7 days before it starts being effective. This means that for every 8 week cycle (4 weeks taking pill, 4 weeks off), you get maybe 3 weeks of pregnancy prevention w/o a backup method. You also have to consider that over time, initial side effects can wear off. Which means that every time you start the pill back up, you're putting your body through side effects that may not occur if you keep taking it regularly.

    Personally, I would look into other methods.

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