Is it safe for a teenage girl to be on the pill to prevent periods?

[Anonymous]

I was on the pill from 18 to 35. I had terrible cramps before the pill and such heavy bleeding I felt physically ill for at least 3 days a month.

The pill changed all that for the better. Contrary to all the anti pill hysteria here, I was not depressed and I did not gain weight. I sometimes had breakthrough bleeding but that was solved with a simple switch of the pill.

[Anonymous]

Oh, and my period returned right away after going off the pill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: It is for cramping and sports reasons.

Heh that's what she says but really she wants to have sex.

I wanted to avoid the monthly cramps and feeling like crap a week each month. If OP's daughter wanted to have sex she doesn't need the pill to get started. What a nasty reply.

[Anonymous]

No. I wouldn't put my teenage daughter on hormonal treatment for, what amounts to, convenience purposes.

I would only consider it if she had some unusually difficult problems with her period.

[Anonymous]

I’ve been on hormonal contraception since I was 15. Used to take continuously to avoid bleeding and that worked til I was 26 or so. Now have to bleed once every 6-8 weeks to avoid constant low level breakthrough. What are you worried about? Have you spoken with a doctor about your concerns? More importantly what informed choice does your daughter want to do with her own body?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t. I was on the pill for 15 years and regret being on it for so long because at some point I stopped having periods but never noticed bc I’d get a small period when not taking the active pills. So when I went off the pill after getting married and hoping to have kids, I never got my period back and needed fertility treatment to get pregnant. The drs don’t know why my period stopped when it was regular before going on the pill. If I could do it over I never would’ve gone on birth control, especially for that long.

Exact same story here. I went on it as a teenager and was on it until I was 28, married and ready to start thinking about trying. I'd had very normal regular periods before going on the pill...came off it and my period never returned. I needed fertility meds to get pregnant.

I was on the pill form 16 to 35. I very often skipped the inactive pills so I wouldn't get my period. I went off the pill and three months later was pregnant. I had my first child at 36 and took birth control pills for a year. Went off them and within 2 months was pregnant and had second child at 38. Now on Mirena and haven't had a period in years. No weight gain or depression. Just has been really convenient not to have periods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD takes Seasonale, so she gets a lighter period every 3 months. Has been fantastic. Her pediatrician says it is perfectly safe.

PP, at what age did your DD start?

She started freshman or sophomore year. She had PMDD so her PMS was off the charts. They put her on Yasmin, which helped a little, but she was still having somewhat significant PMS every month. She switched to Seasonale so that she would only have the PMS symptoms once everything 3 months instead of being horrible depressed 2 weeks of every month. It has worked. She still gets depressed when she has PMS but it's not as horrible and not as often. She has gained weight, though, FYI, but she's not an active kid.

[Anonymous]

I was on the pill for 20 years and now have a little known side effect, liver disease. Do make sure you do your research. And I don't drink and have never been a drinker. Know of a few others in my same situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Being on the pill a long time can really mess up the hormonal balance for some of us. Even after you stop taking it. Regret ever it. Inform yourself about the risks and benefits and let her decide. It’s her body.

Yup. Totally effed up my libido. Don’t mess with your daughter’s hormones like it’s no big thing, OP. It is a big thing, with potentially long-lasting consequences.

[Anonymous]

If you workout hard enough you won't get your period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sports reasons is not a thing, speaking as a former serious athlete who suffered from dysmenorrhea. I mean, unless she’s got serious endometriosis... in which case, she should absolutely suspend menstruation until if/when she wants to have kids.

Swim mom here. It is a thing.

That’s crazy - women swim with their periods every day. What kind of crazy swim mom are you?

Different swim mom here. My swim kid learned of period suppression from a lacrosse kid. Women play lacrosse with their periods every day as well. It doesn't mean it's convenient or desirable, and if a girl or woman wants to suppress her period it should be her informed choice.

My DD used the pill to suppress her period temporarily and then decided the pill was more disruptive than the period. The pill was certainly cheaper than period supplies, however.

Swim moms: what age did your kids start period suppression?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sports reasons is not a thing, speaking as a former serious athlete who suffered from dysmenorrhea. I mean, unless she’s got serious endometriosis... in which case, she should absolutely suspend menstruation until if/when she wants to have kids.

Swim mom here. It is a thing.

That’s crazy - women swim with their periods every day. What kind of crazy swim mom are you?

NP here. I’m also a swim mom and am hearing this is a thing from my HS DD. We will soon see gynecologist to explore options. The issue is not swimming with a tampon, it’s swimming 2-4 hours a day when you have cramps. Elite swimmers can’t afford to be sidelined several days per month. You lose conditioning quickly. They also don’t want to deal with their periods or cramps falling on big competition dates. You train all year and taper for a couple big meets per year. Periods interfere with performance for some but probably not all. Like the PPs, I do suspect this is used as an excuse by some girls who are or are thinking of becoming sexually active. But not in every case. If it is easier for girls to use this reason to ask for BC- fine by me. The gym will just have to address STIs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: It is for cramping and sports reasons.

Heh that's what she says but really she wants to have sex.

My best friend has a very competitive swimmer who got her period at 13. The period was interfering with swim practice so her DD is on birth control and she doesn't get her period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sports reasons is not a thing, speaking as a former serious athlete who suffered from dysmenorrhea. I mean, unless she’s got serious endometriosis... in which case, she should absolutely suspend menstruation until if/when she wants to have kids.

Swim mom here. It is a thing.

That’s crazy - women swim with their periods every day. What kind of crazy swim mom are you?

No the PP you responded to, but if you can't get off your bubble and see that other people might have heavier periods, you might want to look at your own judgmental bitchiness. I personally have very heavy periods. I can wear a super absorbent pad, and on my heaviest two days, in one whoosh, I bleed right through a tampon. And since I can't calculate when, let's say, a heavy downpour might occur, I have to wear tampons and a night pad at all times. Here's another scenario for your small mind. My neighbor had toxic shock from tampons as a teen and she was hospitalized for 3 days. She never wore a tampon again as I'm sure you probably don't understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was on the pill for 20 years and now have a little known side effect, liver disease. Do make sure you do your research. And I don't drink and have never been a drinker. Know of a few others in my same situation.

In real life? No you don't. Maybe from support groups.
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