For women who are trying to be pregnant but have the menstrual period, a concern is that they might not be able to get pregnant while on the pill. Birth control pills, including all of the various formulations, prevent ovulation by either suppressing it or stopping it from happening at all. While an individual woman’s body may react in different ways to the different formulations, there is good news for those who are concerned about the effects of birth control on pregnancy. While on birth control, an individual can generally take care of any side effects to the degree that they are not life-threatening or irreversible.
The main concern is that while on birth control, an individual is not going to ovulate. If this happens, then pregnancy would not occur. The concern with no period while on birth control comes from the fact that ovulation is considered to occur during a woman’s most fertile period, which is usually about fourteen to twenty-four days before her next menstrual period begins. Because the egg must be released from the ovary during this time, most medical professionals believe that ovulation cannot occur when a woman is on birth control pills at this time.
The question of whether ovulation can occur while on birth control is one that only an obstetrician can answer. It is not possible to laboratory test this. However, an obstetrician will know the result of a woman’s menstrual cycle and will be able to judge whether ovulation has occurred or not. He or she will be able to give a woman an accurate determination of her next menstrual period. Based on this information, he or she can then decide whether to begin birth control or to wait until her period is over.
When a woman is considering using birth control, she should discuss it with her doctor first. This way, he or she can make an accurate assessment of whether ovulation can occur while on the method. If so, then birth control can be safely discontinued. If no periods are reported for a three-month period of time, then ovulation did occur. Or, if periods are consistently missed for more than four weeks, then the absence of menstruation is probably due to another cause, and birth control should be discontinued.
Some women find that when taking the pill they have a prolonged period of amenorrhoea. This is a temporary condition that usually goes away when the course of birth control is discontinued. Abstinence may also occur if the birth control is being used for longer than four weeks. Abstinence is usually defined as the woman having no periods for six months or more. If a woman continues to miss periods while on birth control, then her gynecologist may want her to take a different form of birth control.
One concern that many women have is periods of heavy bleeding, which could be caused by ovarian cysts. But, again, this is a very rare occurrence. Usually, heavy bleeding is just a sign that the birth control is not working, and it will stop once the cycle stops. There is one type of birth control that will have severe effects if continued for an extended period, and this is a person born with congenital ovarian cysts. The treatment of these cysts is risky, and there is also a real risk of pelvic complications.
The concern about spotting while on birth control is also very real. While the most effective types of birth control do not present a lot of problems in terms of spots, other methods can. Hormone replacement therapy, or any kind of surgery, is also a real concern, although there are new forms of birth control that are almost as effective. Any of these methods should be discussed with your doctor or health care provider before you start taking them.
There are many other factors that may affect whether or not you have a period while on birth control. Some women notice that they suddenly have a period just before their period is due to begin. Other women report that they have periods only when they are on birth control and never before. It is important that you discuss these issues with your health care provider, and that he or she can recommend a method that works best for you.