Is it safe to deliberately miss your period?

Ask any woman and she’ll likely say there’s never a convenient time to get her period.

Whether you have a vacation planned, an event coming up or just can’t handle the interruption your flow may cause that month, for many women, the temptation to skip your period can be great.

But is deliberately missing your period safe?

The answer is yes, says Erika Feuerstein, a family physician at the Bay Centre for Birth Control in Toronto.

“If you can take the pill, then you can not take a break, if you want to do that,” Feuerstein says.

Known as menstrual suppression, it’s a method of avoiding your monthly bleed, and all the ill feelings that may accompany it, by taking the birth control pill continuously.

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When a woman isn’t taking hormones, it’s important she get her period at least once every three months to shed her endometrial lining — a thick, bloody layer that coats the uterus — to prevent it from building up, which could lead to complications such as endometrial cancer, Feuerstein explains.

The pill, however, works to limit that lining.

“When someone is on the birth control pill, their lining is not really building up that much,” Feuerstein says. “So it’s OK to stay on the pill for three months or four months or whatever.”

So how do you do it?

Typically a woman takes a daily pill with active hormones for three weeks followed by a week off where she’ll either take a placebo — sugar pills — or stop taking a pill altogether during which time she experiences “withdrawal bleeding.” (Women on birth control don’t experience a “true” period, but instead bleed when the body stops receiving hormones).

To skip this, simply continue taking the pill. For instance, if you’re using a 28-day package, use the 21 active pills, skip the seven placebo pills and start a fresh package. If you’re using a 21-day pack, don’t take the week off and start new pills right away.

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But, as Feuerstein explains, this doesn’t rid you of your monthly visitor forever.

Most women will eventually experience spotting or breakthrough bleeding, at which point they should take it as a sign from their body that it’s time for a period, Feuerstein says.

“When they get to that point, they should probably take that week off and then start their pills again,” she says.

Taking the pill continuously won’t alter its effectiveness and women shouldn’t experience any additional side effects. According to the association of reproductive professionals, “no health problems are linked to skipping or eliminating bleeding.”

However, Feuerstein says menstrual suppression should only be used with monophasic pills (for example Alesse), which contain the same amount of hormone in each, versus a triphasic (for example Tri-Cyclen Lo), which contains a different dosage of hormones per week.

For many women, the decision to skip a period hinges on a number of factors, which could include convenience, personal or scheduling reasons.

In a 2013 study conducted at the University of Oregon, of the 1,374 students who were on hormonal contraception in the last six months, about 17 per cent said they’d delay or skip monthly menstruation by not following the medication’s instructions. Of those, about half said they did so for convenience or scheduling purposes.

But women who experience debilitating menstrual symptoms —migraines, mood swings, cramping — could also benefit from opting out, Feuerstein says.

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“It’s the drop in hormones when you stop taking (the pill) that often is what triggers their PMS or their migraines, so for those people, it would be a huge benefit to stay on their pill and often that’s what they’re told to do.”

If you’re not on the pill, don’t fret: other birth control methods follow the same principles. For example, if you’re using the ring or patch, replace the one you’ve worn for three weeks with a new one immediately rather than taking a week off.

While your period can be useful in confirming you’re not pregnant, the idea women need to bleed monthly for any kind of cleansing purpose is a misconception, Feuerstein says.

“You get your period not for cleansing or any of those purposes. Your period is basically your lining builds up every month to get ready for pregnancy. If you don’t get pregnant, your lining sheds and you start your cycle all over again.”

While you could save a few bucks on sanitary products with this approach, if you decide to embark on menstrual suppression, you’ll be going through pills faster so it’s best to have a few spare packs on hand to ensure you don’t suddenly run out.

Do you ever skip your period on purpose? Let us know by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA.