birth control pills: is skipping non-active pills healthy?

I take ortho-tricyclin, and have 7 non-active pills and 21 active pills. I have heard the non-active pills can be skipped, and a new pack of active pills can be started.

Has anyone tried this? Is it safe/healthy? Did you notice any adverse symptoms?

I'm not a doctor, so this is only my opinion and experience.

Yes, they are "inactive" and do not have any hormones/medicine in them. They are there simply to help you stay in the habit of taking them.

I never take them. I have always skipped them. In fact, I believe they even used to produce packs that only had the 3 weeks of active pills, but many women like to stay in the habit of taking their pill at the same time each day, so they just started adding in the 4th week for that purpose.

I'm open to hearing something else, but as far as I know, them's the facts.

(edit: re-reading your post...I think you might be asking about taking active pills for consecutive weeks.  That is, taking active pills for 6 weeks in a row.  It's generally thought it's okay.  I've never done this, but have friends who have and they just had some light spotting the first month of doing it.  I'd talk with your doctor first, though, just to see what she/he has to say.) 

I've done it before.  You essentially skip periods which is wonderful!!!!  They've tested it and its safe to go up to three months.  You have a to keep a few things in mind.  One you have to build up to the three months.  If you have break through bleeding, then you should stop taking the pill and have your period.  Each time you'll go longer between periods.  Two you can get messed up with your insurance if it your script isn't written so that you can skip periods.  Your insurance company won't pay for it if you come to early to get your next dose.

It's okay to skip a period every now and then. I know women used to use the pill to ensure they wouldn't be on their periods on their wedding nights...now a lot of women aren't exactly virgins and are so stressed out something like 60% of couples don't even have sex their wedding night, but I digress.

But I don't have regular periods, and my gyno put me on the pill because if your body doesn't have periods, you increase your chances of uterine cancer.

Some people will argue that it's just fine. But that's what my doctor told me, and that's what I'll believe.

 

I actually switched OFF of a tri-cyclin pill in order to skip periods. Tri-cyclic means there are 3 different levels of hormones (to mimic your natural cycle) and so taking them without a break will result in a weird shift in hormone levels for your body. You should ask your doctor to put you on a single-level hormone pill if you want to do this. (seasonale, seasonique, lybrel, etc.)

Once you do this, I say go for it, it makes life so much easier!

I take a constant hormone level birth control pill daily.  My doctor has given me the okay to skip periods, although she did recommend that I have one 3-4 times a year.  I have no medical reason to do skip my period, but I love it.  LOVE IT.

Thanks for the tips!

Basically, I have calculated that I will have my period over spring break, which would not be fun, so I was curious about doing it just this one time.

It hadn't even occurred to me that the fact that I being on a tri-cyclic hormone pill and skipping once would cause a problem.

I actually am in the process of changing doctors and pills (to yaz). My latest doctor was not compassionate at all and actually hurt me a lot during my last visit. I had never had that before. It was my first visit with him, too, because I was switching to another doctor due to locations of the offices being closer to where I live. I've been putting off seeing a new doctor because I have been scared. It actually made me cry...I felt like an idiot, too. My legs all up in the air and crying like a child, which the onlooking nurse looked at me like I was some sort of freak. But I digress....

Hmm.  I'm on depo provera, was for 5 years, then went on the pill, then went back to depo.  No period while on it.  I was always told it's better not to get your period because it reduces your risk of ovarian and endometrial cancers.  Guess I better ask more questions ...

been on ortho tri cyclen for 6 years and counting:

you don't have to take those, but to remain regular and balanced you have to wait the seven days you would be taking them to start the next.

If some event is going on and you desire to skip your period and wait until next month to have it, then:

the first day you are supposed to be taking the inactive pills, instead start a new pack and continue as usual.

You cannot wait a day in between and then start it, you will risk being fertile. You have to keep with the seven day cycle.  

This has caused me a little bit of spotting sometimes when I do it however, so be aware of that before going ahead and doing it. There is a limit to times in a row in which you can skip periods healthily, however, so don't do it all of the time. COnsult a doctor if you want to regularly have a period every few months, he'll put you on a different type of pill if reccomended. 

I was on depo provera for two years and I cannot reccomend eliminating the period completely. My hair fell out, I gained weight and would have random periods from hell after the first six months.

Hope I could assist. 

I also skip them and it doesn't seem to affect me; I do wait out those seven days because breakthrough bleeding sucks.

You can't skip to a new pack of pills on ortho-trycyclin!!! Like someone already said there are three hormone levels in ortho-tri and you can only skip to another pack if you're on a BC that has a consistent hormone concentration thoughout the entire pack.  On other single level pills it's perfectly fine to skip as long as you let yourself bleed (period) around 3 months (like how seasonale works), but this doesn't work with ortho-tri.

It is possible to skip periods using birth control but if done too often there is no guarantee they will come back! This happened to my cousin and a few of my friends (luckily most of them didn't plan on having children anyway). My cousin is having the most difficult time getting her period back to have kids. Just be careful if that is something you want.

"One you have to build up to the three months.  If you have break through bleeding, then you should stop taking the pill and have your period."

um, be careful taking this advice b/c this sounds like a way you could end up pregnant! especially if you have tricyclical pills, don't do this, you can't just start and stop in the middle. you WILL have breakthrough bleeding, that's kinda the price to pay before you can go with no period, until your body gets used to it. if you don't like the breakthrough bleeding, finish the pack, then get your normal period again at the END of that pack.