The debate on menstruation cycles
CAUTION: Boys, this blog does contain information about the menstruation
cycle and may contain disturbing discussions. Be prepared I guess.
My aim is to inform
you of various facts and studies pertaining to the menstrual cycle. I will
offer both sides of the debate and add my own comments on how it affects me and
the other girls that surround me.
So, what exactly is menstruation?
I would describe it as that horrible thing that happens to
me once, maybe twice a month, makes me terribly rude, makes my boyfriend steer
clear of me for an entire week, makes me crave food, have terrible migraines,
eat large amounts of candy/chocolate, gain lots of weight, feel bloated and
uncomfortable, and completely controls my life.
However, Dr. Phillip Owen, obstetrician and gynecologist, says
“Menstruation - having periods - is part of the female reproductive cycle that
starts when girls become sexually mature at the time of puberty. During a
menstrual period, a woman bleeds from her uterus (womb) via the vagina. This
lasts anything from three to seven days. Each period commences approximately
every 28 days if the woman does not become pregnant during a given cycle. “
An objective view.
Why do women menstruate?
Dr. Phillip Owen says,
“Menstruation is a natural process that occurs if an egg is
not fertilized. If the egg is fertilized and the woman becomes pregnant, it
will fasten itself onto the endometrium, build up of blood. If the egg is not
fertilized, however, resultant hormonal changes cause the endometrium to slip
away and menstruation begins. Menstrual discharge is composed of the
endometrium itself, together with a little fresh blood caused by the breaking
of very fine blood vessels within the endometrium as it detaches itself from
the inside of the uterus."
"The amount of blood lost due to the normal monthly period is
usually less than 80ml. “
80ml is approximately 1/3 a cup. Haha. Who are you kidding?
This seems a very low estimate. Many woman I know take iron replacements because
they lose so much blood.
So, what are you getting at?
A birth control pill released in 2007, Lybrel, suppresses
women’s monthly menstrual cycle for a year. Some women welcome the pill with open arms,
while others feel for various reasons that it should not be taken. A lot of
critics think that the menstrual cycle is natural and should not be eliminated.
“My concern is that the menstrual cycle is an outward sign
of something that’s going on hormonally in the body,” said Christine L.
Hitchcock, a researcher at the University of British Columbia. Ms. Hitchcock
said she worries about “the idea that you can turn your body on and off like a
tap.”
Some women and doctors share this concern; however, there
are no studies that suggest this. Doctors say they know of no medical reasons
why women taking birth control pills should have a period. studies have found
no extra health risks associated with pills that stop menstruation, although
some doctors caution that little research has been conducted on long-term
effects.
Something a lot of advocates don’t know, is that the bleeding
you experience on birth control pills is not a real period. When birth control
pills first hit the market in the 1960s, women generally took three weeks of
active contraceptive pills followed by one week of placebos or no pills. The thinking
was that women would find this more acceptable, that they would feel like they
were having their normal menses," says Susan Ernst, M.D., chief of
gynecology services for the University Health Service at the University of
Michigan and clinical instructor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
at the U-M Health System. And now many gynecologists are saying the “withdraw bleeding”
that following the three weeks of pills and mimics a normal menstrual cycle is
no longer necessary.
In fact, the practice of suppressing a menstrual period has
been going on a long time. Some women never take the placebo pill the fourth
week of the month where their withdraw bleeding should occur, and just continue
a new packet of birth control pills.
Various methods are described in the table below.
|
Method
|
Use
|
|
Combined
oral contraceptives (including dedicated product Seasonale® and
LybrelTM)
|
Extended
or continuous cycles suppress menstruation
|
|
Contraceptive
vaginal ring (NuvaRing®)
|
Studies
not published, but regimens similar to COCs suppress menstruation
|
|
Transdermal
contraceptive patch (Ortho Evra®)
|
Studies
not published about safety or efficacy, but regimens similar to COCs suppress
menstruation
|
|
Depot-medroxyprogesterone
actetate injections (Depo-Provera®)
|
Amenorrhea
common with long-term use—50% after 1 year, 90% after 2 years
|
|
Levonorgestrel
intrauterine system (Mirena®)
|
Significant
(80%–90%) decrease in blood loss; approximately 20% of users amenorrheic by 1
year
|
The topic has inspired a documentary by Giovanna Chesler,
“Period: The End of Menstruation?,” currently screening on college campuses and
among feminist groups. Below is a link for a trailer of the documentary.
Pill That Eliminates the Period Gets Mixed Reviews
Ruth Fremson/The New York Times
An audience watching an hourlong documentary film by
Giovanna Chesler, “Period: The End of Menstruation?,” at the Bluestockings
Bookstore on Allen Street in Manhattan recently.
“We don’t have any long-term studies for what happens if you
stop periods for years and years and years,” said Dr. Maria Bustillo, a
reproductive endocrinologist in Miami. Dr. Bustillo said there was probably no
increased risk over traditional birth control regimens. Although studies are
conflicting, some have shown that the birth control pill may increase that
risk.
If we are so scared of the risks of suppressing the menstrual cycle, why are there not more studies that solidify the facts?
With Barr’s Seasonale and Seasonique, the biggest medical
problem is
that users can have unpredictable and irregular bleeding or “spotting."
To me, spotting is a huge upgrade from a constant flow.
Menstrual suppression may be particularly appealing to women
who suffer severe pain, heavy bleeding or emotional problems during their
periods. A study by Canadian researchers found that women afflicted by heavy
menstrual bleeding give up $1,692 a year in lost wages. Women often feel less
effective at work and school during their periods. They limit sexual activity
and exercise; wear dark clothes and stay home more. One woman who now uses
Seasonale said she had found her periods debilitating before she started taking
it.
“I had some months when I couldn’t get out of bed unless I
popped 600 milligrams of Motrin,” said Marcella O’Neal, a department manager
for Nordstrom in Atlanta. Ms. O’Neal, 36, said Seasonale had eliminated many of
her symptoms — cramping, hot flashes and depression. “I love it, actually,” she
said.
Menstrual benefits of suppressing periods include a
reduction in dysmenorrhea, menorrhagia, premenstrual syndrome, and
perimenopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, and irregular
monthly periods.
Nonmenstrual benefits include a reduction in
menstrual migraines, endometriosis, breast tenderness, bloating, menstrual
migraine, and premenstrual syndrome or premenstrual dysphoric disorder, as well
as medical conditions such as endometriosis and acne, and an improved sense of
well-being.
One who attended the screening of “Period: The End of
Menstruation?,” Aviva Bergman, a 22-year-old student at Goucher College in
Maryland, said she would not use products that suppressed her period because it
seemed unnatural.“I just feel that there’s a reason you’re getting it every
month,” she said.
I think it is fine if you don’t want to use the product,
however, not every woman feels this way and I think it is our right as woman to
have this option. I also understand a lot of the critics are scared of what the
affects of suppressing your period may do, however, there should be more
studies conducted to find out facts, not just bad feelings. To women who suffer
severe pain, heavy bleeding or emotional problems during their periods, the
idea that these side-effects can be
eliminated in woman that find themselves “debilitated” during their menstrual cycle
seems amazing.
