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Your Seven Day Break on the Pill is Bogus—Here’s Why

The seven-day break built into the schedule of the contraceptive pill isn’t backed by medical science—it is instead from a gynaecologist in the ‘60s who, by mimicking the natural rhythms of a woman’s cycle as closely as possible, was trying to persuade the pope to let the Catholic Church adopt the birth control form.

Periods on the Pill

Women on the Pill, the most popular method of birth control, know how it goes: take the Pill for three weeks and then either switch to a sugar pill or forgo taking any tablets during the fourth week.

During the fourth week, women on the Pill will bleed; however, it’s important to note that the ‘period’ you get while on the Pill isn’t a real period. It’s called “withdrawal bleeding,” which refers to the withdrawal experienced from taking a week off of the Pill’s hormones. The drop-in hormone levels cause the lining of the uterus to shed, which is what leads to period-like bleeding.

Some women say they appreciate the bleeding as an indication that they’re not pregnant; however, Pill periods aren’t actually a guarantee of that. Monthly bleeding on the Pill is just a reaction to no longer having contraceptive chemicals in your system.

How did we get here?

If the period experienced by women doesn’t fulfill the functions of a period, is it medically necessary to bleed every month?

Not according to the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, who made headlines this week when it announced about the Pill, “there is no health benefit from the seven-day hormone-free interval.”

In fact, the origin of the Pill’s off week comes from John Rock, one of the gynecologists who was involved with the development of the contraceptive. A devout Catholic, Dr. Rock built in the break in order to please the Catholic Church and, he hoped, earn the endorsement of the pope at the time.

“In the Catholic Church the rhythm method is an accepted form of birth control,” said Sophia Yen, M.D., a gynecologist in California and founder of Pandia Health, to Glamour UK. “So his thought was that if he could make women’s periods rock solid and regular, it would make this method easier to practice [and more appealing to the Church].”

His plan didn’t work—the pope didn’t go for it and ultimately decided the Church wouldn’t support Catholics using birth control of any kind—but nevertheless, the built-in breaks to allow for a monthly period stuck.

In other words, the reason women on the Pill have been having regular periods month after month for the past 60 years is because one man was trying to please another man—and it didn’t even work.

It’s ok to not take a break

For many women, taking the Pill continuously may actually have some benefits. The sudden drop in estrogen levels experienced during the off week can lead to headaches. Continuous use can also reduce acne and eliminate the possibility of painful periods.

It might seem obvious, but most women would happily skip monthly bleeding if they knew it was safe, a survey conducted by Pandia Health in 2018 revealed.

So here we are in 2019—a place where the myth about a “build-up of menstrual blood” when you don’t have a period is still widely accepted and our Pill-period schedules are dictated by a misguided and long-deceased doctor.

Menstruation is closely tied to the concept of female identity and fighting the stigma associated with not having one requires cutting through many layers of internalized attitudes about femininity. The word “unnatural” comes up a lot when discussing medically preventing your period. Yet there are several accepted forms of birth control on the market that do just that, like the hormonal IUD and the shot.

Much of the conversation around eliminating menstruation focuses on women who have debilitating periods, and while it’s important to continue research in this area specifically for women who need to control their painful and heavy periods, it’s also worth considering those who are simply inconvenienced by their periods and would rather not have them.

“I love to travel, I love to spend time outdoors. I love not having to worry about a period,” said one woman to The Atlantic.

With FSRH’s new report, she can rest assured that it is safe to do so.

 

See also: Women’s Health Watch: In Stirrups

Is safe sex becoming less relevant for college students?

Bearina IUD concept aims to make IUDs cheap and accessible

Dating Apps Created by Women

Five Dating Apps Created by Women for Women

Apps have changed the face of dating and there seems to be no signs of them slowing down. Long gone are the days of courting a lady; instead, swiping yes or no seem to be the newest form of digital foreplay. While dating apps have made connecting to people far easier, they have received a lot of skepticism from both sexes—women, in particular. Women often feel harassed or tired of silly puns and cheesy one-liners spewed out to them by their matches. Another complaint is the lack of safety precautions. Instances of harassment are a common feature of virtual dating. The solution to this? Dating apps created by women—these outstanding dating apps have the answer (for the females at least). Take a look at our top 5 dating apps created by women for women.

Bumble

Possibly the most popular and well known of the eight apps, Bumble is specifically designed with women in mind. It works on a similar premise to most dating apps with location being integral to your matches. What makes it so unique is the method in which a couple will start chatting. A male can extend an invitation to speak with a female, but in order for any flirting to commence a female needs to accept beforehand. Whitney Wolfe, CEO and creator of Bumble and cofounder of the dating app Tinder, is an American entrepreneur. The app’s immense popularity and surge in their monthly base visitors gained Wolfe a place within Forbes 2017 30 Under 30, where they credit successful young pioneers for their work.

HER

HER’s objective is to unite members of the lesbian, bisexual and queer community of women. Their app involves free and paid features with differing perks and functions. But there is a lot more to HER than just dating, it also allows the user to make new friendship connections and read up on topical news. They even promote the sharing of LGBTQ events, providing app users with a well-rounded knowledge f how their identity group is being catered to in their local community. Robyn Exton, founder of HER, commented that “Dating for LGBTQ women used to be pretty tough. Trying to find a woman that hadn’t dated one of your friends was like trying to find a black diamond in Argos; very unlikely.” A prime example of a dating app created by women for women.

Coffee Meets Bagel

The Coffee Meets Bagel app is unlike Tinder, which uses fast-paced swiping software for a quick dating experience. Coffee Meets Bagel takes that concept and flips it on its head. Each day at noon the male users will be sent a selection of 21 matches, they can either like or pass on these. The app then curates the best potential matches for those who were liked, the girl can choose who they speak to out of the selection they receive. The more the app progresses, the more accurate the matches become. The app collates data and starts to track the significance of the users you like.

LuLu

LuLu was created by Alexandra Chong as a solution to harsh dating rules. The app aims to create a safe environment for women, allowing them to remain anonymous until they feel comfortable revealing their full identity. It works in a similar way to Bumble, allowing women to make the first move with a message. What sets LuLu apart from the rest is its rating feature. The app allows you to rate exes and old acquaintances. This review covers sexual performance, hobbies, ambitions and appearance, giving a unique edge over its app opponents.

Siren

Susie Lee, CEO and cofounder of dating app Siren, disliked the swiping culture developing within the dating scene. Mindless and rather shallow use of apps is starting to make people neglect what really matters—an opinion greatly triumphed by Lee. She believed there were no genuine dating apps created by women for women—enter Siren. The app provides you with a daily question, intended to initiate thoughtful conversations that reveal more about the user’s personality. This is one of the more thoughtful apps on the market. Try to consider your answers carefully before publishing them; the pace of the app is decisively slower and more purposeful than others in the market. Lee set out to humanize the online dating scene. Durex proposed a partnership with Siren during one of their campaigns on technology and intimacy.

Further reading: Dating App Bumble is Opening its Own Bar