Can birth control cause fertility problems?

Question

I take birth control continuously, meaning I skip the placebo pills and go into a new pack. I have not had a period in a year and a half.

I do this because I have severely painful periods with an extremely heavy flow.

Can abstaining from menstrual cycles cause fertility problems later on?

Have there been any studies on this subject? Should I stop the pill?

Answer 1

I dont see a prob with skipping a placebo pill but going staight into another pack without waiting a the 5 or seven day (however many placebo pills you have) before starting a new pack and you havent had a peropd in a year and a half?  I'd go see a doc

Answer 2

Artificial hormones, such as the hormones in birth control pills may cause fertility problems in women who are sensitive to them.

A friend of mine was on the pill for 6 years before deciding she wanted to conceive, and she didn't get pregnant for 15 months - even though her obgyn said there was nothing wrong with either of them.

She went to see a holistic therapist who told her about the effect the artificial hormones had on her body, then she did a body cleanse, and 7 weeks later became pregnant.

By the way, is your heavy flow caused by fibroids?

Answer 3

I don't know for sure if that will cause fertility problems, but my doctor advised me to never go more than 3 months without a period. I would suggest you try to get back on a somewhat normal schedule.

Answer 4

Actually, no- I asked my gyno about this because I've been on the Pill for 7 years now and I was worried it could hurt my chances of conceiving when I want to get pregnant in a couple years, but she said that if anything, it keeps your reproductive system healthier, by reducing the risks for two types of cancer and conserving your eggs by not releasing one each month.  A woman is born with all the eggs she'll ever have, so if she releases one each month when she ovulates, her supply will have dwindled by the time she's ready to have children.  Because the Pill works by suppressing ovulation, the eggs never get released and they stay in the ovaries, causing quite the surplus when she is ready to conceive.  This is how my gyno explained it to me, and she also mentioned that she was on the Pill herself for 12 years, and then got pregnant the month after she went off it.

Answer 5

There has been very good research done on this. Hormonal contraception, regardless of the duration of use. The current research indicates that there are very significant health benefits to being on the pill, notably massive decreases in the risk of of ovarian and endometrial cancers, and modest decreases in other gynecological cancers.

Using the pill to suppress cycling, the period has shown no negative consequences in research so far.