Letters to the Editor
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What I really want in a contraceptive
Personally, I like getting a cue every month that indicates that I'm not present.
What I really want in a hormonal contraceptive, though, is one that doesn't make me, well, psycho.
I'd take an IUD that actually fits in my small, never-been-pregnant uterus as an alternative.
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correction
PREGNANT. That indicates I'm not PREGNANT, not present.
I'm not even sure what kind of slip that was!
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Fibrous tumors
Cause xtra pain during periods. I have to start the Advil early (as soon as there is any sign of bleeding) and keep taking it at regular intervals for three days to keep the worst of the cramping at bay. As ANOTHER bonus, I start retaining water about 10 days before my period starts--my breasts get tender, I swell up, blah blah blah. I would LOVE to bag my period for good. I don't view it as a symbol of my womanliness, and would be happy to never have to deal with it again.
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Then what?
You'll bark and shout at me about your NMS? (non menstrual syndrome?)
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only the ugly girls have it
I know this may seem paranoid, but I'm afraid of what it will mean for young women who have no choice but to menstruate in a beauty culture that already rejects natural breasts and encourages the removal of all pubic hair. I know too many men who are disgusted to their core by menstruation--just imagine what life will be like when a generation is raised believing that only "gross" girls bleed. Its scary to think how pathologized the female body already is; how terrible to imagine that something so essential may signify poor hygiene.
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Reminds me of a short story
If you can find it, read 'Even the Queen' by Connie Willis. It is set in a future where women have done away with their periods and a group called the Cyclists want to "rescue" women (i.e. bring periods back). The major scene has 3 generations of women in the same family discussing the possiblity of one of the younger women joining the Cyclists. It is both entertaining and enlightening (To a man, at least. To a woman, it's probably just entertaining).
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Response to Oxymoron
Are you thinking about having children any time in the future? I had the same fibrous tumors (symptoms not as bad as yours but still not nice) & since I've decided not to have more kids & had my tubes tied a few years back, my dr. told me I was a perfect candidate for endometrial ablation. An outpatient procedure, a week or so of discomfort & I haven't had a period in 7 months. You should check it out- everyone's body responds differently but from what I read, at least 40% of women who have this procedure are as successful as I was. Important though, only consider it if you're sure you're done having kids as getting pregnant (or present) after EA is dangerous.
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I say - make it a choice!
My periods were extremely heavy, embarrassing (when I bled through my so-called absorption products at business meetings) and unhealthy (I had constant anemia for decades).
While I was fertile and on the pill, I was indeed grateful for the monthly affirmation that I wasn't pregnant (or sorry when we were trying to be pregnant).
But for the 15 years after I had a tubal ligation, periods served no affirming indications and merely continued to cause me issues. Then I had a hysterectomy for dysmenorria - (all the symptoms I described above plus more).
So at the end of this overlong post, I just want to say - give women a choice - if you are sexually active and possibly vulnerable, then choose a birth control method that will give reassurance. For others, who are technically infertile (e.g., tubal ligation), give the option to do without periods altogether.
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tinkering with our lady parts
the argument that the periods women currently experience on the pill are just an imitation of menstruation doesn't make me any less uncomfortable with the idea of doing away with menstruation all together. despite the reassurances from pharmaceutical companies that the "new" pill will be safe, i can't help but think of the history of oral contraceptives. from its early testing on puerto rican women, the serious, and even deadly side effects experienced by patients were dismissed and ignored by researchers. for decades doctors and drug companies have disregarded women's complaints about birth control's side effects, and each new advance has just been the same old hormones in a shiny new package. for years i would explain to doctors that i'd had crippling depression on two different dosages of birth control pills, and they would recommend me the patch or the ring or depo provera, essentially the exact same drugs i had just been complaining about delivered in a new fashion. i can't help but think that these new pills are just more doses of the same drugs so many of the women i know hate in the first place.
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Glad it's back
I spent nearly 12 years without a period thanks to Depoprovera and then an IUD. I didn't miss it, but now that we're trying to conceive, I'm SO relieved it's back; I was afraid that, after spending so much time gone, it would be on permanent vacation.
Sure, it's a pain, but at the same time is reassuring that my body is functioning as intended.
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On second thought...
Well, when I first read the article, I was like, who would actually WANT their period? Mine was embarassingly heavy and painful, and accompanied by bloating and feverishness. I actually take birth control already so that I only have one four times a year, and the symptoms are now very mild. I was overjoyed to get my prescription. I can understand though the relief that some ladies feel when their period affirms their pregnant/nonpregnant status, and agree that periods are useful in that regard.
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Longevity
Some studies have suggested that a woman's monthly cycle takes a physiological toll, and that by eliminating the constant hormonal flux one could add months or even years to one's life. Just a little something to consider.
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Correction?
Wow, Tracy Clark-Flory, that was translated badly. The New York Times wrote: "The interruption of hormone therapy during the inactive part of the regimen induces bleeding that resembles a mild period but is, in fact, caused by unstable hormone levels." This is correct. It's the interruption not the "the set of seven placebo pills" (as you wrote) that induces bleeding.