Missed Period While On Birth Control

If 6 weeks passes and a woman does not have a period or menstrual cycle, it’s considered a missed period. Missing a period doesn’t always mean a woman is pregnant. There are many different reasons why a woman misses her period, one being birth control. Other reasons why a woman misses her period includes:

• Type of birth control, such as Depo-Provera
• Stress or emotional distress
• Diet or change in diet
• Lack of sleep or rest
• Increased activity
• Normal heavy activity, such as sports, running or dancing
• Medications, including specific forms of antibiotics
• Illnesses such as the flu or a head cold
• Pregnancy

When a woman says her “period is late” she actually means her ovulation cycle is late, not the menstrual cycle. Besides preventing pregnancies, birth control is used to regulate a woman’s monthly cycle, including her menstrual and ovulation days. However, if you’re on birth control and you’ve made changes in your daily routines either physically or emotionally, it can throw off your cycle and cause you to miss a period.

How Birth Control Regulates Your Menstrual Cycle

Once a month, several eggs mature and one is released from the ovary called ovulation. Until that point the lining of your uterus is so thick it can act as a ‘nest’ for the egg. Once the egg is released, it has 12-48 hours to get fertilized. If it doesn’t it disappears. Two weeks later, the thick lining of the uterus sheds, causing you to bleed or have your menstrual cycle. If you are on birth control pills, your doctor should give you 3 weeks worth of ‘active’ pills and one week of ‘inactive’ pills. Menstruation happens during ‘inactive’ pills on cycle, however it’s important to know that some women receive their period during the ‘active’ pills. For others menstruation doesn’t happen at all while on birth control, regardless of which type of birth control they are on.

Causes for Missing a Period on Birth Control

As mentioned before, there could be many reasons why you would miss your period while taking a form of birth control. And even though birth control is used to help a woman regulate her monthly cycle, sometimes it doesn’t help in that area. Some of the reasons why a woman could miss a period while using a contraceptive are:

• Stopping the use of birth control
• Switching type of birth control
• Manipulating the birth control cycle
• Increased activity
• Extended usage of birth control
• Menopause or pre-menopause
• Certain medications

It really depends on you and your situation. What your daily activities are, how you are emotionally, what medications or other health problems you have, etc. There are plenty of explanations for a woman to miss her period while on birth control.

Is it Safe to Miss a Period on Birth Control?

The truth is, many women and doctors have been purposely manipulating a woman’s period for decades. Some women think that without their monthly period, toxins can build up. This is false. Women naturally control their periods and ovulation cycles through daily activities, emotions, etc. It’s not unsafe to miss a period, especially on birth control, which was meant to manipulate a woman’s monthly cycle to begin with. A period that occurs during a woman’s birth control cycle doesn’t have a medical function other than letting her know she’s not pregnant. In fact, oral contraceptives can be used to prevent a period (such as Depo-Provera), or to produce a cycle length.

In a study asked of many women, 91% of them who use birth control pills actually wanted a longer monthly cycle to reduce PMS, headaches, fatigue, cramps, bloating and other menstrual symptoms.

Doctors are even able to safely help a woman skip periods and help to manage menstrual-related disorders or severe menstrual symptoms brought on by her periods. Other reasons why woman manipulate periods through the use of birth control are:

• Wedding or honeymoon dates
• Vacations
• Demanding jobs
• Other health related issues

Most do this by simply starting a new pack during the 4th week instead of taking the ‘inactive’ pills. Now before you do this, you should talk with your doctor and notify him or her of your intentions. He or she might have a different solution, such as placing you on Depo-Provera, also known as the “Depo Shot”. This shot prevents your period for up to 14 weeks at a time, if you receive the shot at least once every 12 weeks. There are numerous options a woman has when it comes to using birth control and having a monthly period. Again, talk with your doctor about these options to see what’s best for you and your situation.