Health & Support

Ok, so I'm going on vacation to Mexico next week and my period is scheduled to start the day I leave =/  I have been on a tri-phasic BC for about 3 years now. I've done some research on skipping your period and have read that it's not possible unless you are on a mono-phasic type. However, I was wondering if it could work if I skipped my placebos and started to take the 3rd week in my next pack instead of the first? (so that the hormone levels stay constant) Has anyone ever tried this? And if so, has it worked? Or should I just start excepting the fact that I'll have to deal with it on vacation? Please help!

I'm usually pretty well versed on my birth control stuff but I can't say I know the difference between tri-phasic and mono-phasic -- I'm assuming that tri-phasic means three weeks birth control, one week placebo? If so, I was on that kind as Tri-Sprintec for years and constantly skipped periods, so yes, is can be done and it's perfectly safe.

The way I've always been told to do it is, skip the placebo pills and start your new month's pack from the beginning (your first pill of your first week for that pack). It's always worked peachy keen for me!

www.noperiod.com is a good place to go for more info

i was informed by a doctor that if you don't take your placebos and just start taking another pack period that it will keep you from starting your period... but that the next period you have can be worse than normal.  never tried it though. 

I think you guys are misunderstanding her bc

the three weeks of medicine have different hormone levels

so week 1s hormones are not equal to week 3s hormones

so she would theoretically need to take another week three to maintain hormone levels

 

unfortunatley I dont know the answer, try calling your doctor and asking them

I have heard that it works best if you take you pack backwards, like you were saying, but I would call your doctor.

I am also wondering how this works because I'm on a tri- phasic pill too, but I've been too nervous to try it. I take ortho tri cyclen.

Let me know how it goes or what your doctor says.

 

Good luck!!

Quoted from this site which I recommend you read in it's entirety. I think it's pretty accurate (my gyno told me the same thing as what I'm about to post):

http://thewelltimedperiod.blogspot.com/2004/0 7/skip-period-with-triphasic-pills-you.html

"The monthly bleeding you experience while on the Pill is withdrawal bleeding, a chemically induced event. This artifice was introduced for political, religious, etc. reasons by the Pill inventors; it serves no known medical function.

"The menstrual period and withdrawal bleeding are not one and the same thing.

"Bottom line: When you use the Pill and you modify the regular 21/7 (21 days of active pills/7 days of placebo pills during which you experience withdrawal bleeding) to an extended regimen, like the 84/7 one, you are only changing the frequency of withdrawal bleeding; from monthly, to once every three months. The regimen change has no effect on your menstrual period since, while on the Pill, you don't have a menstrual period."

Of course, use condoms and what not just to be sure, but this site even includes regime explainations of how to take tri pills!!

(PS I'm currently on Yaz and I take it continuiously for the headaches that hormone changes cause in me. No problems here.)

PSS - Still bring pads/tampons because you might still experience a little spotting and if you're going to be on a long flight then it can kind of induce a period (at least on Yaz.) I took a trip to Italy and didn't know this and definitely started bleeding!!! It went away the next day, but later I read in the risks package that they give with it that prolonged flights could cause this. It only happened on the way back, though, a week later, not on the way there. (Mind you, this was an 11 hour flight!)

I was supopsed to start my periods during my 2 week vacation to New Zealand, but I just skipped the sugar pills and went straight to the next pack.  It worked for me, and has in the past before (I take Yaz) and I've heard there's nothing wrong with skipping your period.

I'm on ortho tri myself and have been on both sides of the issue.  I have stopped taking it a week early to start early and get it over with and have continued on to the new pack (first week, not third week, just start a new pack like you normally would) in order to delay it.  My Dr. told me that anytime you alter your birth control useage to use a backup method of birth control.  You may spot a little (but I haven't in the past) so take some thin liners and slender tampons made for light days.

BTW, the pills I take have different levels of hormones each week too so I know what you are talking about.  Just don't forget about the condoms!

Definitely try taking your pills backwards (ie: starting from the end of week 3 and continuing), it has always worked for me if I needed to push off my period for a while. 

I have asked a dr. about this, and while she  said it's not a great thing to do to your body (especially if you have been on the pill for a long time and therefore used to it), she understood that nearly everyone will try to stop their period and so she recommended this method.  Also, she recommended to stop taking your pills when the vacation is over to let your body get back into your cycle.  AND to use back up birth control of course!

Go for it!  Call the doctor and get the advice.  I got my period two days before my wedding!  It was awful!  I could just see a red stain on my wedding dress, so I used plenty of supplies!  It didn't wreck my honeymoon, but it wasn't as fun as it could have been.

Thank you all for the advice. I've decided to try to skip by taking my pills backwards (from the 3rd week).  I'll be sure to stay protected and bring back up with me just in case it doesn't work. I'll let you all know how it works out for me. 

good luck! :]

and have fun!

For anyone who is still interested, I went on vacation and took my pills backwards without any break in between this pack and the last.  It worked perfectly for me without and spotting at all. I just stopped taking the pills to let myself have a period. It hasn't come yet (it's been less than a day) but I'll let you know if it's any different than normal.

Thanks again

 that's good that it didnt ruin your trip!!! :]