Issue date: 4/26/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Jim Moldenhauer / Daily Vidette Senior Staff

For many women, being able to eliminate their monthly period would seem like a dream come true.

Thanks to a new birth control pill called Lybrel, this dream may become a reality.

Next month, the Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve Lybrel, the first contraceptive pill designed to eliminate periods as long as the woman takes it.

"I think as long as this new pill is competitively priced, women will probably like it. Women that I've talked to who use Seasonale seem to like having only four periods of year so I think as long as it is kept affordable, I think women will like Lybrel as well," Jim Almeda, health educator said.

While some women may welcome not having a period, others may find this to be a topic of concern.

"I think there are a substantial amount of women that would like not having a period. However, there are others that would probably have concern. It may not seem natural to them," Dr. Jean Swearingen, assistant medical director at Student Health Services, said.

According to some researchers, some women view their periods as fundamental signs of fertility and health. These women carry on a complex love-hate relationship with them.

Studies have found no extra health risks associated with pills that stop menstruation, although some doctors caution that little research has been done on long term effects.

"Because there really hasn't been enough research on this, we don't know all the side effects, risks and long term effects of these types of pills," Swearingen said.

While eliminating menstruation may seem like a completely new concept, this is actually not true. Women who take any kind of oral contraceptive do not have real periods.

Because the hormones in pills stop the monthly release of an egg and the buildup of the uterine lining, there is no need for the lining to shed, as it occurs in real menstruation.

However, typical oral contraceptives are designed to mimic the natural 28 day menstrual cycle to assure women using the pill that their bodies were functioning normally.

Birth control pills are generally packaged as regimes of 21 days of hormone pills and 7 days of inactive pills. During the inactive part of the regimen, bleeding that resembles a mild period occurs. This is caused by unstable hormone levels.

Although there are benefits to not having a period, one student is unsure about the concept.

"It would make me feel uneasy. I guess I could go a few months without having a period, but it just seems wrong. I don't understand how you would know if you were actually pregnant or not," Dana Sponholz, sophomore family and consumer sciences major, said.

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