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When the birth control pill was invented, scientists deliberately created an artificial bleed week in the belief that women needed a period psychologically, for reassurance or to feel feminine. However, on hormonal contraception, you not only do not need a period medically, the period you get isn't actually a period at all. Confused? Let's take this step by step!

In a genuine normal menstrual cycle, several hormones, FSH & LH, cause an egg to ripen and be released. If it's fertilized, you have a baby. If not, then you menstruate. Menstruation is triggered by the breakdown of the corpus luteum, a small yellow cyst-like body left behind in your ovaries after the egg is released. The corpus luteum produces progesterone, which would nourish a pregnancy until the egg was firmly attached, if there was a pregnancy. When there is no pregnancy, progesterone drops, and you menstruate.

Now, if you are taking the birth control pill, things are very different. The progesterone and estrogen in the pill tell your body that you are effectively pregnant, preventing an egg to be released. No egg, no pregnancy. When you "get your period" on the pill, what is really happening is that the sudden drop of hormones convince your body it's time to shed the lining. The lining you grow while on the pill is different than a regular lining. It's thinner, and contains less tissue.

You can be on the pill continuously without issues. Your lining will *NOT* continue to grow, because the hormone levels prevent that. I personally was on the pill continuously for years, without an issue.

Lybrel is not new, except in marketing. Women have been using the pill, the patch, and the ring continuously for over 20 years. Some women do it because they don't want their periods. Some do it for medical reasons, such as menstrual migraines, severe PMS, or endometriosis. This has been safe and well-used, just not well publicized.

If you are on the pill / patch / ring and wish to use it continuously, talk to your doctor. All you would do is begin a new pill pack INSTEAD of taking the placebo ("fake") pills.

To sum up the issue- "periods" on the pill are induced bleeds, not real periods. The lining doesn't continue to build up because of the hormones in the pill. Lybrel isn't new, it's the same pill in different packaging. Continuous pill use also isn't new, it just hasn't been marketed before. Continuous pill use is safe, effective, and may be helpful if your periods are troublesome due to medical, psychological, or lifestyle issues. Please consult your doctor before taking the pill continuously.

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