Extended Cycle Birth Control Pills

Constant hormone amount

Short term displacement of menstruation for holidays, exams and travel have been used for many years. In sport is sustained displacement of menstruation well known. Users of oral contraceptives with constant hormone quantity (monophasic pill) has since skipped the tablet-free interval over and taken several packets directly after each other. Some want to keep the monthly bleeding, while others would rather have fewer menstrual periods.

How to delay a period?

If you want to delay your period, use monophasic combined oral contraceptives, where all tablets are the same. You can see the contents of the COC on the package or ask your doctor. After 21 days of consuming contraceptive pills can spring break week and continues directly to the next package. When you talk about extended cycle, the majority 3 packs in a row. But there is in principle nothing wrong that one can take the pill for a long time without a break. When desired bleeding, held 4-7 day break, never longer.

Does that fewer pregnancies?

During normal use of the pill (in 21 + 7 days) caused most unplanned pregnancies that they forget to take pills. It does not matter which pill you forget. If you forget the first pill and comes too late in the process next month’s pill, or if you forget the last in the package, there is a high risk of pregnancy.

If the pill-free interval shortened reduces to the risk of pregnancy. Ovulation can occur already nine to ten days after the last pill, if you forget the pills, for example. after the tablet-free interval. Several studies of extended oral contraceptive cycle suggesting that this use has fewer unwanted pregnancies than a conventional COCs. That’s because there are fewer tablet-free intervals during the year.

What affects the lining of the womb?

By traditional COC use, the lining of the uterus (the endometrium) thin, and the monthly bleeding may therefore be absent. It is not dangerous, and there is no question of a mucous membrane that remains to be expelled. There is no bleeding in the break week, and if you have previously missed one or more birth control pills, you should of course rule out the emergence of a pregnancy. Cessation The bleeding (when the mucous membrane is ejected) by traditional COC use is also not “biological”, because it occurs. Decrease in the concentration of the artificial hormones.

Adverse effects?

By using multiple pill packs in a row – COC extended cycle – there are often small bleedings in the beginning. With continued use decreases småblødningerne. In the longer term there is no difference in the incidence of irregular bleeding in women using long cycle compared to normal use of the pill.

The number of irregular bleeding is presumably higher for first time users, than for women who have changed from the conventional use of COCs. There are not detected differences in the amount of side effects such as breast tenderness, nausea, nervousness, dizziness, acne, weight change and depression between traditional and extended pill cycle. The only difference is a lower incidence of headache in a prolonged cycle. This may be explained by the fact that some women get headaches in the free period of traditional use of the pill.

long-term effects

It is no data about the effect of long-term use of oral contraceptives sustained cycle. In the studies, there is, it has been concentrated on how well tolerated the pellets, the bleeding pattern and on the pregnancy protective effect. The investigations have also been small and has occurred over too short a time, to rare side effects and long term effects can be discovered.

Plain COCs have been shown to provide reduced risk of mucosal changes in the uterus, uterine cancer and ovarian cancer. It is believed that this protective effect is also present at the extended cycle oral contraceptive. The pill increases the risk of blood clots and a small increased risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, cervical cancer and breast cancer. It is unknown whether the extended COC cycle yields the same risk, or the risk may be higher due to a higher total hormone ingestion. There is nothing to suggest that long-pill cycle makes it more difficult to achieve pregnancy since.

Benefits of the extended cycle oral contraceptive

The contraceptive pill used for the treatment of gynecological disorders, i.e., diseases associated with female genital organs, and symptoms of the menstrual flow. At the women who do not get adequate relief of regular birth control pills, it may be advantageous to use the pill for extended pill cycle. It is used particularly for the treatment of diseases such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome. Extended cycle may be relevant in premenstrual syndrome (PMS), At considerable menstrual pain (dysmenorrhoea) and in women with anemia (anemia)caused by large bleeding. It is also believed that prolonged pill cycle in women who get migraines or epileptic seizures associated with menstruation or withdrawal bleeding may be favorable. In migraine, the risk of prolonged pill cycle somewhat difficult to assess, since the migraine itself increases the risk of stroke, and pill users seem to be extra prone to this. If long-pill cycle prevents migraine attacks, it is reasonable to assume that this risk is reduced.

conclusion

For women with menstrual-related genes can be extended cycle oral contraceptive as a treatment alternative. Extended cycle may also be relevant for healthy women who want fewer withdrawal bleeding from. Their lifestyle. As possible use of extended pill cycle, you should know that the risk of serious side effects and long term effects of this use is not completely mapped. This is especially important if there are medical reasons to use extended pill cycle.