4 periods a year?!?!

what's up with this seasonal shit.... does it work? and how?



....

It works for some women. I have friends who are on it and love it.

It's called Seasonale. I'm looking into it.

It's also completely against everything nature and biology intended. I just don't feel right about fucking with my body like that for any extended period *snicker* of time; It's bad enough having to take the pill.

Also, I know girls who went a while without realizing they were pregnant because they weren't expecting their periods anyway. not on Seasonal, but Depovera and Norplant.



[Edited on Jun 18, 2004 by thatgengirl]

Yes, but are those four periods in question "normal" periods or are they some sort of "super period", feeling as if they need to make up for all that lost time?

They're normal, supposedly. It's not like your normal period is building up inside and only gets to come out once every three months; it's like you only go through your menstrual cycle once every three months.

I don't know, though. The pill in every form I've tried fucks with my hormones way too badly for me to ever try it again. I'd rather take my chances than be feeling fat, depressed, sick, and half-psychotic all the time.

I'll probably get jumped all over for saying this, but... having periods isn't natural.

I don't mean that it's not a part of your natural bodily functions, I mean that if you were a primitive human living in a cave somewhere without the luxury of contraception and equal rights, you wouldn't be having them. You'd be pregnant. Then you'd give birth. Then, if you didn't die in childbirth, you'd get pregnant again.

PMS is an artifact of modern life, so you can't say it's really natural at all to have these repeated cycles of menstruation. Look at the hell you ladies have to go through with PMS and cramps and bloating, why do you think it happens? What possible function does it serve? It's nature's way of saying, "hey, go get some." Breed. That's what biology is all about, and, as far as evolution is concerned, nothing else matters.

BTW, I'm not trying to make a moral statement of any kind here, I'm just looking at the biology.

No, that's cool, I totally get what you're saying, and from an anthropological point of view, I agree.

I'm blaming that on the hormones in our beef - I blame a lot of things on the hormones in our beef: really tall teenage boys, stupid drivers, the Bush administration...

is that safe?

I've heard pregnancy described like that.

It's safe - but there may be spotting and cramps even wihtout the actual period -so it's not fool-proof. A lot of woman do this to make sure they aren't menstruating on their honeymoon, or vacation, or whatnot.

but what do they know? someone ask a priest.

That seems kind of unnerving, but then again, I've been somewhat unsure about some of the latest birth control treatments. An ex-girlfriend of mine was on depo provera and while it wasn't a major problem, it definately contributed to her being unstable. The mood swings got ridiculous.

But if it works for some girls...more power to them.

Because of syndromes like PCOS, some women only have their period once every few months. It's not like the uterus will explode or anything.

I once went six months, and the next period was like any other. I had a bit more cramping and bled for an extra day, but I wasn't incapacitated or turning my life over to God or anything.

Not just me then...I took the 'normal' pill without a break a couple of times( two packs in a row) . didn't get any cramps or spottting but instead turned into bitch monster from hell. My boyfriend actually got scared of me! Don't think I'll try that again in a hurry. Maybe nature is best left alone.

The period is also a "cleansing" process, in many different ways. I don't think of it as something to do with fertility alone, especially since infertile women have periods.

Someone once compared the shedding of the uterine lining to molting and shedding the previous month's personality in a way - a rebirth of sorts. I'm paraphrasing big time, so apologies to whomever said that. Was that you, Olivia, in one of your journals? I really liked the way you phrased it.

Yes. It's so poetic.

http://www.thestranger.com/2003-09-18/feature.html everyone needs to read this.

They said that about asbestos too.