With lingering concerns about the safety of oral contraceptives, it's somewhat surprising to see them touted as the "cure" for menstruation. But that's just what a new survey is suggesting. According to a survey by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, "more than the two thirds of the women polled in a national survey say that they are interested in suppressing their menstrual periods but many of them aren't sure if it's safe." Multiple oral contraceptives are already available to reduce menstruation and the FDA recently approved the first continuous oral contraceptive designed to suppress a woman's menstrual cycle. And according to this study, women are increasingly interested in exercising their options. The study found that 63 percent of women reported being extremely or somewhat interested in not having a period.
Oral contraceptives were initially designed with a week of inactive tablets taken every month to mimic the natural experience of menstruation. Continuous use oral contraceptives eliminates these inactive tablets, thereby eliminating withdrawal bleeding.
So, why would a physician recommend a woman suppress her menses?
"The symptoms that often accompany menstruation - from depression to bloating and headaches - can significantly disrupt women's lives," said Dr. Kurt Barnhart, who presented the survey at the Reproductive Health 2007 conference. "Menstruation is not medically necessary. Now that we have products that have proven to be safe and effective at suppressing menstruation, we can offer increasing options for women."
According to Dr. Barnhart, the gap between physician and patient understanding concerning the necessity of monthly periods is obvious. "It is our hope that based on these findings physicians will begin to more readily initiate dialogue with their female patients about continuous therapy - helping to eliminate the misconception that periods are a medical necessity and to emphasize the safety and viability of menstrual suppression."
"We've found that physicians and their patients discuss this topic differently, with doctors using the medical term menstrual suppression, while their patients simply talk about not having a period," he said. "Breaking down this language barrier by speaking in simpler, more patient-friendly terms could have a significant positive impact on understanding."
Related articles:
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Source: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
