The ability to skip a menstrual period is just one of the many benefits of birth-control pills. If your period may put a damper on an upcoming special event, a simple process can prevent your menstrual bleeding from occurring. Although this process is typically safe, women who choose to use birth-control pills to skip their period should talk to a doctor about their plan before doing so.
Step 1
Call a doctor. Ask her permission to use your birth-control pills to skip your period. Discuss any specific questions or concerns you may have about carrying out the process.
Step 2
Continue taking your active birth-control pills as usual. You will not need to do anything differently until you reach the inactive reminder pills.
Step 3
Begin a new package of birth-control pills instead of taking the inactive reminder pills. The lack of hormones in the reminder pills signals your body to bleed, so skipping these pills and continuing to take active pills with hormones will prevent this withdrawal bleeding from occurring.
Step 4
Take each active pill in the new package of birth control until you want menstruation to occur. If you reach the inactive reminder pills in the second package of birth control, begin a third package. Your period should be suppressed as long as you continue to take an active birth-control pill once every day.
Step 5
Begin taking the inactive reminder pills or stop taking active pills a few days before you want your period to start. Bleeding should occur a few days after you stop taking active birth-control pills.
Tips and Warnings
- Take active pills at the exact same time every day to reduce the likelihood of breakthrough bleeding, according to Dr. Leslie Miller of NoPeriod.com. If you frequently find yourself wanting to menstruate less often, ask your doctor about extended-use birth control options.
- Even if you take each active pill on time, breakthrough bleeding may occur during the first several months of menstrual suppression with birth control, according to the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals. The organization suggests that women begin to suppress their periods a few months ahead of time to minimize the likelihood of breakthrough bleeding on their special day.
Things You'll Need
- Several packages of birth-control pills
