The panacea for women or an unnatural method of regulating menstruation? The drugs that manage to suppress the cycle of ovulation and menorrhea for three months continue to generate controversy. The weapon wielded by its defenders is the increase in the quality of life of thousands of women who every 28 days suffer discomfort, sometimes considerable. Detractors, however, believe that it is a way of altering nature, based on the prejudices that exist about menstruation, to which is added the prevailing doctrine in today’s society, concerned only with living without problems or worries. In this article, we show you which drugs can be used, as well as their benefits and drawbacks.
Four rules a year?
It is necessary to distinguish between having irregular periods for natural reasons or that this responds to sought causes, which is the subject of this article. Even so, we explain both situations:
Natural causes
Why do I have my period every three months? It is normal? If your menstrual period is irregular (and it wasn’t before) or you have any disorder, you should see a doctor as soon as possible. It may not be a serious problem, but any problem must be ruled out.
In these cases, the gynecologist is the only one who can offer an adequate response.
For contraceptive drugs
The Contraception Survey in Spain 2020 indicates that the use of LARCs, long-lasting contraceptives, increases every year in our country. Although it is almost always an IUD device, there are also pills and injections that offer women the ability to suppress the ovulation and menorrhea cycle for three months. That is, having the rule only four times a year. Broadly speaking, these drugs contain the same hormones as common contraceptives, although in lower doses.
The main difference with the rest of the contraceptives in use (the monthly pill) is that it suspends the menstrual cycle for three months, which normally occurs every 28 or 29 days. A frequency that thousands of women wait with resignation since the rule in most cases causes physical changes such as fluid retention or abdominal pain, and changes in mood, tiredness, and irritability, symptoms that sometimes have a such intensity that interferes with a woman’s daily life.
For this reason, these drugs are considered a blessing for millions of women, as pointed out by experts from the Spanish Contraception Society, who attribute the characteristic discomfort of premenstrual syndrome, the main reason why many women would like to have their menstruation less frequently. . And it is that, obviously, “it is not the same that this happens every 28 days than four times a year.”
Advantages of long-acting contraceptives
Gynecologists assure that having your period fewer times a year is not “against nature” since, according to the Spanish Contraception Society, it is not necessary to menstruate every month and it is possible to postpone the period so that it appears every three months, six months or even a year, so it could be the solution to many women’s problems.
Some benefits are:
Effective against some ailments
These drugs are very useful for women with conditions that worsen with menstruation, such as endometriosis or anemia (sometimes the bleeding is too heavy and prolonged, causing significant losses).
Headaches and other very annoying menstrual symptoms for some women (breast tenderness, swelling or mood swings, among others) can also be avoided.
Reduces risk of some types of cancer
Some researchers speculate that it reduces the risk of ovarian cancer more than traditional birth control pills.
It is also thought that it may reduce the risk of breast cancer since menstruation is accompanied by the release of estrogen, which encourages the proliferation of breast cells.
Disadvantages of having your period every three months
Breakthrough bleeding
There may be intermenstrual bleeding (little amount and on separate days). It has been found to be more likely with long continuous cycle regimens than with the traditional 28 day period.
However, it is true that breakthrough bleeding decreases over time.
Increased intake of hormones
Some specialists warn that women ingest hormones on more days of the year, so that the incorporation of a higher hormonal dose must be higher, for which they consider it convenient to investigate in depth the effects of the greater intake of hormones.
Difficulty knowing if you are pregnant
No method is completely effective. If you have morning sickness, breast tenderness, or unusual fatigue, take a pregnancy test.
Lower bone density
Contraceptives trick the body, they fake a hormonal situation similar to menopause. And, therefore, its effects are like those of menopause, which can mean, for example, lower bone density. “Hence the importance of breaks and medical control,”
