pill cycle vs. ordinary cycle

[kwokj.livejournal.com]

I've heard that the bleeding during the inactive week of the Pill (or other hormonal birth control, I guess) isn't "real" menstruation. Not real in what sense? And if you happen to ovulate the odd cycle while on the Pill (I guess from your own body's hormones coming through stronger), how does such a cycle compare to an ordinary cycle? If you were monitoring for ovulation, would you observe the same signs? Would it still occur roughly 14 days before your body expected you to start bleeding?

I suppose innadvertanly missing Pills or taking them late and bringing on ovulation is a different story in terms of timing...

Comments

[soulchic.livejournal.com]

I've heard it's not a real period too, it's just a withdrawl from hormones, but htat doesn't make much sense, as that's what a period is in the first place (insofar as I've read). The drop in estrogen and progesterone is what causes you to menstruate. *shrug*

[sulingsi.livejournal.com]

i'm a bit late in responding to this, but i think what is meant by the 'fake period' thing is that since, as the other person who responded said, the reason for shedding the uterus lining with the pill is not because of an unfertilized egg, it's because of the drop in hormone levels that had been making your body believe it was pregnant and so it needed to keep the lining. with the pill ovulation is suppressed, or at least it's supposed to be. so it's more of a difference in reasons than a difference in what happens.

[kwokj.livejournal.com]

Thanks. So you don't have any answers for what happend when the pill hasn't been effective and didn't manage to suppress ovulation?

[kwokj.livejournal.com]

i'm a bit late in responding to this, but...

It's true, I have come to expect answers to medical questions from you :)

[sulingsi.livejournal.com]

i didn't really respond to your questions... if you ovulate while on the pill, seems like it would be no different from an ordinary cycle- the pill also has a function to prevent the egg from implanting that still keeps you safe from getting pregnant. but yeah, i think you would observe the same signs, because i've been on the pill forever and sometimes i feel that ovulation pain. i'm not sure about the discharge signs because i've never checked that out. and also that's a good question about would it be at the same time- it seems like your body wouldn't really know when the 'right' time was if you were on the pill so i honestly have no idea!

[kwokj.livejournal.com]

oh, here is it :)

I've wondered if the body has any idea what the "right" time is, since it seems to come to expect the pill cycle... when I tried to manipulate my cycle on a lower dose pill (like avoid bleeding during exams or whatever) I found my body stubbornly wanting to stay on its usual cycle. Seemed like I was only able to "override" this schedule when I was on a slightly higher dose preperation.

[sulingsi.livejournal.com]

mine totally does the same thing. my period gets PISSED at me if i try to play around with it too much. that's why i am afraid of what it's going to do to me now that i've been letting nuvaring tie it up and gag it in the closet for the past two months, and i have to let it loose again... :-)