Swallowing the pill (no gap week): Is it harmful?

Many women sometimes swallow the contraceptive pill. Menstruation sometimes comes at unwanted moments, such as a holiday or an important sports match. But is it also possible to keep taking the pill longer? Does this involve risks and is it harmful?

Why a stop week?

During the gap week, a woman menstruates. Actually, this period is manipulated and can no longer be called real menstruation. It is actually bleeding that is caused by the hormones no longer being taken. This withdrawal bleeding is often lighter and shorter than a regular menstrual period. This is because only a small portion of the endometrium needs to be separated. The endometrium is only built up to a small extent and does not continue to grow. It is claimed that the stop week was only introduced because women used to think it unnatural not to have their periods. Dr. Steven Goldstein, MD, OB-GYN at New York University School of Medicine, says, "Scientists who invented the Pill in the 1950s thought women would be more likely to go on the Pill if they added an extra week." thought this gave the women a more secure feeling, because that way you could be sure that you were not pregnant. So it was actually not necessary to set a stop week at all.

Doctors have been advising women with severe menstrual problems and women with PMS or endometriosis to take the contraceptive pill and not to stop a week. When a woman has endometriosis, the uterine lining also grows outside the uterus. These are called endometrial foci. This can cause serious complaints. Swallowing the pill can reduce the symptoms of these women with endometriosis, PMS or other menstrual problems. Sometimes endometriosis foci can disappear completely by swallowing the pill. This swallowing of the pill does not have any harmful consequences for your health, many doctors claim. A study by American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists shows that even 99 percent of doctors say swallowing the pill is harmless.

So you can swallow the pill as long as you want. Often a breakthrough bleeding will follow. Breakthrough bleeding once or twice a year is normal and not serious at all. You can choose to insert a stop week after all, but this is not necessary.

A woman will enter menopause whether she takes the contraceptive pill or not. Menopause cannot be delayed with this. The difference is that a woman cannot notice that she has reached menopause when she takes the pill.

The Seasonale and the Seasonique ensure that you will not get your period for a season, as the name implies. With this pill you have your period four times a year.