Expert: Brigid Kowalczyk - 1/26/2006

Question
I was just wondering if there were any risks on only taking birth control for 1 month every 3rd month? I only get really bad periods every third menses, and i hate to take birth control but it's way worth it to do it for the one month when it's really bad because of how seriously ill i get. It's strange because it's every 3rd period when i get so sick.

That leads to my next question, do we ovulate every month from one side of ovaries? Like one month you ovulate/menses on the right side and then the other month you ovulate/menses on the left side? Would it make any sense that my 3rd period is so bad because every second one it's just working extra hard to rid of the lining? I'm just trying to figure out for a long time why my periods are so hideously death-like almost every 3rd one? Or is like like every gyno has said, go on birthcontrol to stabilize your hormones, that that's what's making it so bad? I dont like birthcontrol and i want to know why it's like that every 3rd month. Thanks.

Answer
It would definitely NOT be a good idea to take BCP's every third month.  There are no benefits to taking the pill and even if you seem to have relief from your cramping, it isn't permanent so you are not fixing the problem.  Here are some of the drawbacks to taking the pill:

Study Finds Adverse Sexual Side Effects of Birth Control Pills
The birth control pill can have significant adverse effects on sexuality and mood in some women, increasing the likelihood of early discontinuation, according to a study by the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction at Indiana University.
Of the women in the study who started on the pill, 38 percent were still taking it after one year, 47 percent had stopped, and 14 percent had switched to another pill. The women who stopped or changed to another pill were four times as likely to report adverse sexual, emotional and physical side effects as the women who continued with their oral contraceptive. Some of these effects included decrease in sexual thoughts, less frequent intercourse and negative mood changes.
There is no way of predicting which women are likely to experience adverse mood or sexuality effects from oral contraceptives, or which oral contraceptive formulations are more likely to be responsible.   Estrogen can clearly cause breast cancer. There is just no way around it. I cannot think of one clinical indication for birth control pills and believe that no one should use them.
Do birth control chemicals have unpleasant side-effects or health hazards?
Combined OCs
Side effects of birth control pills can include:

•   Increased risk of breast and cervical cancers
•   Increased risk of blood clotting, heart attack and stroke
•   Migraines and headaches
•   Gall bladder disease
•   Increased blood pressure
•   Weight gain
•   Mood changes
•   Acne and/or oily skin
•   Nausea/Vomiting (especially at the beginning)
•   Nausea
•   Irregular bleeding or spotting
•   Benign liver tumors
•   Breast tenderness
•   Yeast overgrowth and infection

Progestin-Only Methods
•   Common Side-Effects (not comprehensive)
o   Untimely bleeding or spotting between periods
o   Prolonged menstrual bleeding (8 days or more)
o   No bleeding at all (amenorrhea) for several months or over a year
o   Headache (very common)
o   Nervousness/anxiety
o   Lower abdominal pain
o   Dizziness
o   Loss of sex drive (libido)
o   Depression
o   Acne and/or oily skin
o   Change of appetite
o   Weight gain
o   Breast tenderness (mastalgia)
o   Increased facial or body hair growth (hirsutism) or hair loss
o   Whitish vaginal discharge (leukorrhea)
o   Excessive growth of body/facial hair or hair loss
o   Infection the implants site for Norplant
o   A brief period of pain or itching
o   Enlarged ovarian follicles
o   Bone density loss

•   Less Common Serious Health Hazards
o   Ectopic pregnancy
o   Cancer

The most important thing to remember about hormonal birth control methods such as the pill is that they are synthetic hormones. It isn't healthy for a woman to be exposed to them.  In fact, their long-term use will invariably increase a woman's risk of developing serious chronic illness. In addition to increasing health risks as dangerous as cancer and blood clots, birth control pills also deplete important nutrients, including vitamins B2, B6 and B12.


The use of birth control pills or synthetic hormones is actually rarely justified. If you're using birth control pills to control menstrual cycles, irregular bleeding, cysts or endometriosis, you are not treating the underlying dysfunction. Instead, you are simply increasing the risks to your health.


It is essential to balance the adrenal glands in these situations, as cortisol levels modulate and control the female hormones, especially progesterone. The pill only treats the symptoms instead of the disease, and causes its own side effects as your body continues to remain in an unhealthy state.  In addition, long term use of the pill will permanently damage your libido, your desire for sex.  Permanently.  It won't come back.

There are good ways to cure your cramping problems.  MOstly involving nutrition and exercise and getting the right amount of sleep, etc.  I've read that supplementing your diet with Magnesium will help.  Vitamin E is suggested as a good thing to try.  You will have to experiment and find out what works best for your body.  

Check out this website:  mercola.com and do a search on dysmenorrhea or menstrual pain or PMS and see what you find out.  

Yes, it is possible to alternate ovaries and that is probably what happens most of the time.  I'm glad you don't like the pill, it isn't good for you.  Keep up the good work and let me know what you find that works for you.