Lybrel: Freedom From The Dreaded Curse?

Some women feel menstrual suppression liberates women.  Others feel it is a threat to womanhood.

In July 2007, Lybrel entered the market as the first oral contraceptive designed not only to prevent pregnancy, but also to eliminate periods.   And with this new pill, many women yelled, “freedom!”

The use of oral contraception to prevent menstruation has been around for a long time.  But in the past it was kept quiet and only recommended to women who had unbearable menstrual pain or other health issues.  But according to Natural Resources Magazine, doctors are saying that they are receiving Lybrel inquiries from young women with reasons ranging from camping trips to being sexually active.  So, have we entered the era of no periods?

Some women see menstruation as a sign of good health and an important part of womanhood.  It is natural and it shouldn’t be messed with.  But others see it very differently.   In fact, it is quite the controversy and women seem to be divided on the issue.  We now have TV ads implying that periods are bad, disabling, and most importantly, unnecessary unless you are planning to have a baby.  We are told not to worry though as we can stop them and finally be freed from the dreaded curse, thanks to Lybrel.

Things every woman should know before taking Lybrel.

First, I’ll state the benefits Lybrel provides.  Lybrel prevents unwanted pregnancies and it stops menstruation which can be quite painful for some and simply quite bothersome for others.  Women can take Lybrel for the sake of convenience when vacations and honeymoons are being planned.  And I cannot leave out that taking contraceptive pills, even the conventional kind, decreases the risk of ovarian cancer by 40 percent.

But it is just as important to know the risks as it is to know the benefits.  The risks which we know about are the ones that come with all birth control pills.  Mainly, estrogen levels in contraceptive pills can be four times higher than the levels during a regular menstrual cycle.  And research shows that as a result of these higher levels, women taking the pill double their risk for strokes and heart attacks.   The pill has also been linked to depression and cervical cancer.

There could be long-term risks that we do not yet know about.

With continual-use pills, such as Lybrel, being on the rise, there is the possibility that we will start seeing an increase in risks.   Leading concerns include,

• Women taking these new pills may have significant bone loss compared to women not taking the pills.
• There may be more estrogen than the breast tissue can handle.
• Some doctors feel that bleeding cleanses a woman’s body of harmful elements.  Menstrual suppression may prevent the cleansing of precancerous cells in the uterine lining.

Only time will tell, of course.  And whether research proves that menstrual suppression is safe or dangerous, either way, Lybrel is bound to teach us more about the health benefits of a menstrual cycle.

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