According to a new study by the not-for-profit National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC), the nation's leading source for women's health information, the majority of women (76%) report that they would prefer to get their period less often and 74 percent consider their period a nuisance.
At the same time, only 8 percent report having tried continuous contraceptive pills that allow a woman to get her period once a quarter or even once a year. Among those who have not tried continuous contraceptives and are not interested in doing so, concerns about long-term side effects (60%), a feeling that it is not healthy to have a period less than once a month (49%), and a lack of interest in oral contraceptives (47%) are the leading impediments.
Sexual Health
While the number of women who have tried oral contraceptives that allow them to get their periods less often than once a month is very small, 70% of this group is satisfied with their experience using this form of birth control.
"Continuous contraceptive pills have risks and long-term side effects that are very similar to standard, monthly birth control pills which are the most widely used form of contraceptive," said Elizabeth Battaglino Cahill, RN, executive director of NWHRC. "Women need to talk with their health care provider and learn more about their options when it comes to managing their menstrual cycle to fit with their lifestyle choices."
Among those who have used more than form of birth control, oral contraceptive pills (44%) and the male condom (20%) are the most commonly preferred methods. Women cite fitting into their lifestyle well (52%) and ease of use (43%) as the primary reasons for their choice.
Seventy-four percent of women report having used some form of oral contraceptives and 68 percent report using a male condom as a method of birth control. Conversely, 12 percent of women have never used any form of birth control, particularly those in the 18-24 year old range where the number never having used birth control rises to 29 percent.