Do We Need a Period: The Follow-Up |
If you haven't read part 1 of Bernadette's blog about the new prescriptions that can halt a woman's period, start here .
Now, onto part two.
After Monday's blog, I did some more research on the pill that eliminates a woman's period, and I was concerned by what I found. As it turns out, pharmaceutically eliminating the period may not be the best thing for women. Drug companies have a lot hidden in the fine print. Talk to your doctor. You may get a plethora of warnings:
If you're over 35, you probably shouldn't be taking any pill. As women age, the risk of cancer, heart disease, and stroke increases. In addition, age may increase the risk of fibroids. Add synthetic hormones into the mix, and you get even worse odds.
If you smoke, all bets are off for an effective pill because the chemicals in cigarettes break down estrogen.
And you have to think: Do I want kids -- at all? The problem is that no birth control pill is truly 100 percent effective 100 percent of the time. Even with Lybrel, which is a 365-pills-a-year deal, 2 in 1,000 women got pregnant.
Lastly, remember that this is new territory for science. They haven't followed a generation of women who don't have periods, were healthy, and got pregnant (or didn't) when they wanted to. Researchers just don't know what the consequences may be for this pill.
Awful periods can be treated with semi-invasive medical procedures. Techniques called NovaSure and HerOption remove the lining or part of the lining of the uterus, so period bleeding is lessened or eliminated -- especially welcomed by women who redefine the term "heavy bleeding."
Periods are not necessary, according to some ob/gyns, for two types of women: those who are young, healthy, and don't want kids at all. And those women who are older, healthy, and don't want kids at all. For those of us who fall somewhere in the middle, I guess we have to come to grips with it.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest (gulp) that having a monthly period is an okay thing. It's one of the few low-tech ways a woman can keep in touch with her body. Okay, 28 days from now I'll hate myself for writing that. But think: your body gives you signals, some not so subtle, about its inner workings. With all that we do, knowing that something in our lives is working is a good thing. I'm one of those nature freaks who breaks for baby ducks, so it's not surprising that I'm a big fan of keeping things natural with my body. So, why are we puzzling about ways to get rid of something natural? Why not take it for what it is -- a simple biological process.
Do you want to ditch your period? |
Bernadette Sukley |
| About the author: |
| Bernadette Sukley has written, edited, fact checked for nearly 20 years. Her topics range from health to sports and lifestyle, from human interest to hard news. Her work has appeared in Men’s Health, Sports Illustrated for Women, and ABROAD magazines. Currently polishing up 3 novels for publication, she welcomes discussions on women and literature.
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