Is it safe to skip periods using birth control pills? Let’s find out

Periods are an intrinsic part of a woman’s life — she may love it or hate it, but definitely can’t ignore it. Although, she can choose to skip it, if she likes. But how does it happen? Most women go for birth control pills. There’s no one reason for doing so — some do not want to endure the pain of menstrual cramps, while others just find it convenient. But what’s important to understand is if it’s safe or not? 

Before we move on to that aspect, it is essential to understand some basics of birth control pills. 

How do birth control pills work?

Every single time you go for these pills, remember that you are consuming synthetic hormones. These could be a combination of estrogen and progestin, sometimes it could just be progestin. How do these work? To begin with, they prevent ovulation or the process of your ovaries releasing an egg every month. 

They also thicken the cervical mucus, which makes it difficult for the sperm to reach an egg, even if it’s released. The impact of birth control pills can also make the uterine lining much thinner. This essentially means that in case an egg gets fertilised, even then it won’t develop. 

When it comes to accuracy, birth control pills are 99 percent effective, if used correctly. That means you must take the pill at the same time, every single day. If not, its impact may decrease. The failure rate is about 7 percent. 

How safe is it to skip your period?

Most of the time, it is safe to skip your period on birth control pills. But make sure you check with a doctor. There are several reasons why women may want to skip their periods, it could be anything from painful cramps, heavy menstrual bleeding, endometriosis, fibroid tumours, mood swings and bleeding disorders. 

There are several studies that show no negative health effects, when you skip your period using hormonal birth control pills. But it is important to note that there aren’t many long-term studies examining the safety of skipping your period for long durations. 

In fact, when you decide to stop taking hormonal birth control, your natural menstrual cycle as well as fertility do get back to normal after one month. 

There are many different combined hormonal birth control pills that contain different types of synthetic hormones and doses. Some pills are monophasic—meaning they have the same dose of hormones in each pill. Other pills are multiphasic—meaning that the number of hormones in the pills changes throughout your pack. 

All in all, it’s safe to skip your period on a pill. But make sure you speak to your doctor, always!