Science is now fooling with natural female functions for the sole purpose of convenience. Unfortunately, most women resent their monthly periods due to the discomfort it can produce. Women are taught to keep menstruation quiet as if there is something to be ashamed of. Ignorant men avoid our cycles with disgust, as if keeping themselves spiritually cleansed from the supposed evilness of our normal functioning.
But now, our culture has corrected nature to fit to our standards of social desirability and convenience. As of early September 2003, the FDA has approved Seasonale (manufactured by Barr Laboratories of Pomona, New York); Seasonale is a 91-day regimen oral contraceptive designed to suppress a woman's menstrual cycle to occur only 4 times annually, instead of the natural 13.
1 Naturally, your menstrual cycle is roughly 28 days. During the first 14 days, the of FSH, LH, and estrogen hormones increase in your blood, stimulating the release of an egg ready to be fertilized. During the last 14 days, the progesterone hormone surges in your blood in preparation for pregnancy. You get your period when the s of both estrogen and progesterone fall.
Traditional oral contraceptives have faithfully followed this natural cycle of 28 days using a combination of synthetic estrogen and synthetic progesterone. The Pill tricks your body into thinking it is already pregnant, thus shutting down production of new eggs. The last 7 pills in one cycle contain no hormones, but inactive sugar pills instead. Your estrogen and progesterone s fall, and so you get your period.
Seasonale is nearly identical to this except for one thing. Instead of inducing your period at the end of 21 days of hormones, Seasonale delays your period for 84 days. Barr Laboratories is promoting Seasonale as a revolution in women's health care--as a "safe and effective" alternative in oral contraceptives. However, Barr Laboratories stresses that the risks are the same as any other birth control pill; Seasonale poses an increased chance of mid-cycle bleeding.
2 This is probably because your period wants to come out. Menstruation suppression was originally a treatment for endometriosis (excessive and painful menses), or fibroids.2 But now, the 90% of women who do not have disorders choose menstruation suppression out of mere convenience and social desirability.
According to the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research, a woman's attitude toward menstruation is the best predictor of her decision on whether or not to suppress it. SMCR members have agreed on two conclusions: (1) More comprehensive and long term research is needed on menstruation suppression before women can confidently make informed choices, and (2) "we do not believe that continuous oral contraceptive use should be prescribed to all menstruating women out of a rejection of a normal, healthy menstrual cycle." The Athena Institute states that ovulation plays an important role in one formation; therefore, menstrual suppression may weaken a woman's bones over the long run.
3 Since women do not bleed as often on Seasonale, they are exposed to more estrogen than other women over time. Long term increased exposure to estrogen can increase risk of breast cancer. Also, if women have their periods less often, organ cleansing is infrequent, potentially raising the chance of an infection. And since the first sign of pregnancy is missing a period, it may take women on Seasonale longer to realize a pregnancy if there is one.
Our culture has pushed quick-and-easy technological answers beyond necessity and even common sense. There has been a 20% increase in women who schedule unnecessary C-sections so they can plan the birth of their babies around vacations and holidays. Many doctors insist on the superiority of natural childbirth,
4 but what do they know about biological functions? Cars and fast-food restaurants all aid in making life more convenient, and for convenience we put up with carbon dioxide in our air, and atherosclerosis in our arteries.
In this case, Barr Laboratories is not solving prevalent health danger; it is attempting to capitalize on negative attitudes toward menstruation. I encourage all women to continue to let their bodies do their thing. The advent of Seasonale is another symptom of a society that suppresses women into falsely believing their normal functioning is undesirable, abnormal, wrong, and disgusting. In reality, the female system is normal the way it is. It works beautifully. Leave it alone and it will be its healthiest. It does not deserve rejection.
Footnotes:
1 Food & Drug Administration.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/2003/ANS01251.html2 WPXI Pittsburgh.
http://www.wpxi.com/health/2460410/detail.html3 The Athena Institute.
http://www.athenainstitute.com/sciencelinks/Hsuppress.html4 MSNBC.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/949294.asp#BODY
