Women don't 'need' to have periods - and here's the reason why

BEING on your period is never fun, especially if you suffer from horrible cramps or heavy bleeds.

But there's good news, as if you're using oral contraception, there's no medical reason to bother having one.

According to Dr Elizabeth Micks, who runs an obstetrics and gynaecology clinic at the University of Washinging in Seattle, the period we have if we're taking the Pill is fake anyway.


She said: "There's absolutely no medical need to have a period when you're on contraception."

This, according to Dr Micks, means it's OK for women who use the Pill to take it back-to-back, meaning no monthly bloating, period pain or mood swings - great if you're heading off on holiday.

According to a report by NPR, Micks claimed the idea that women should always have a monthly period while on birth control is a lingering cultural idea that is now outdated.

The reason traditional oral contraceptives include 21 hormone pills and a week of 'sugar pills' to induce a "fake period" is actually down to the religious beliefs of one of the creators of the Pill.

She explained: "In general, I think views are changing really rapidly.

"That need to have regular periods is not just in our society anymore.

"One of the doctors who helped invent the Pill was Catholic.

"He thought the Pope might accept the pill if it looked like women were having periods.



"But the Catholic church never came around to the Pill.

"And when doctors actually asked women if they wanted to have these fake periods, many said they didn’t."

Now many women have opted to ditch the standard contraceptive Pill for an implant or an IUD - usually a copper coil or a Mirena which releases hormones into the womb.

A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Hyattsville, Maryland, states IUD and implant use has risen nearly five times in the past decade in the US.

Although hormonal IUDs don't completely stop your periods long-term, they usually reduce them significantly which make them an attractive alternative.

Micks said: "With the hormonal IUD, about 50 per cent of women don’t have periods after a year.

"But nearly all women will have lighter, shorter and less painful periods after about six months."

Despite some claims long-term period suppression can affect a woman's fertility, NPR point out there is no evidence to support this.



Naturally there are some caveats to this argument.

Not all women can use the Pill continuously and if you're over 35 and a smoker it is ill-advised to use oral contraceptives at all.

The same applies for women who are at high risk of a heart attack, blood clot or stroke, or with high blood pressure or diabetes.

The average women will spend six years of her life, or 2,190 days, having their periods.