Lybrel, a continuous birth control pill that stops menstruation recently approved by the FDA, may help prevent menstrually associated migraines for some women. Hormonal birth control is often used as a migraine preventive. Many doctors prescribe that patients replace the sugar pills with active pills to suppress menstruation, thus lessening hormonal fluctuations.
Taken each day, Lybrel provides a continuous supply of hormones without a break for a period, ever. It seems creepy to me, but The Well-Timed Period quotes a report that says that periods aren’t as necessary as they seem. Also, I’m one of the few women who actually likes having a period. (Maybe you didn’t want to know that?)
Learn more about “menstrual management” under “How to Skip a Period” on The Well-Timed Period and pokearound the informative blog.
I just would like to point out that Jane in comment 2 is probably referring to the “new” implants which practically turn off your menstruation cycles. The “old”-fashioned pill, however, will simply regulate your monthly cycle – no delay at all.
You don’t need to buy “cheap” genericas to get the normal effect – just refrain from choosing an implant.
I am using depo-provera for this exact purpose. I have reduced the amount of migraines I get drastically. I used to get anywhere from 5-10 a month. I have had one migraine in about 2 months. I still have some daily mild headaches I am dealing with, but overall its fantastic!
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I’m so glad to hear it!
Kerrie
Be careful with this. Don’t go too long. I went for more than a year without a period trying to reduce my migraines, and when I finally let it get through by going off the pill, bad things happened, so much so that my nurse practitioner wanted to do an endometrial biopsy on me. Turns out the terrible discharges were the result of delaying periods for so long. She had never mentioned that.
BTW, you don’t need these fancy new expensive pills for this purpose. The old cheap generics work just fine for it.
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Thanks for the warning and the tip on using generics.
Take care,
Kerrie
I don’t take Lybrel, but I have been taking the pill continuously to avoid menstrual migraines for 6+ years. It is awesome!!! I used to be in bed and unable to function for almost a week out of every month. I DON’T like having periods and if I had one after all this time I wouldn’t know what to do!!! Its great!!
Jamie
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That’s great!
Kerrie