Periods—End of Story?

by: Summer Hunt, ELS

Share

Tired of your monthly period?

Experts say there’s no medical need to have a period when you’re on contraception. In fact, the bleeding you experience while on the pill isn’t really a period at all; you’re just shedding the lining of your uterus.

To send Aunt Flo on an extended vacation, skip the “placebo” pills in your birth control pack, or consider a hormone shot, a hormonal IUD, or an implant in your arm. These aren’t necessarily guaranteed to help you send Aunt Flo packing for good. You may still experience spotting or unscheduled bleeding when you begin one of these methods.

Right now, there’s no evidence that skipping your time of the month will affect your future fertility; research still needs to be done on long-term effects of stopping menstruation. If you’re still full of question marks about your period, talk to your nurse or other care provider.

As a woman, you’ll spend 6 years of your life having periods.

Weight loss and PCOS-related infertility

Women struggling to get pregnant while battling polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) may have better odds if they lose weight before beginning infertility treatments, say researchers at the National Institutes of Health. In a review of two studies, women who started a weight loss program before clomiphene to induce ovulation were 2.5 times more likely to have a baby.

PCOS affects 5-10% of women ages 18-44

Breathe easier with yoga!

If you’re already bending over backward to balance your asthma issues, you could breathe a little easier with a regular yoga regimen. A team of Cochrane researchers found evidence that yoga reduces the effects of asthma on your quality of life. But don’t toss that inhaler in favor of more downward dog just yet—the study’s lead author says it’s unclear if yoga has a consistent impact on lung function, or if it can reduce people’s medication usage.

 

Learn these strategies for super sleep

 

Share

AUTHOR

Summer Hunt, ELS