Pill periods are not periods
The pill cannot “regulate” your menstrual cycle due to the simple fact that it suppresses ovulation and ovulation is the main event of the menstrual cycle.
When a medical doctor says to you, “I want to put you on the pill to regulate your hormones or your menstrual cycle”, what they really mean is, “these high dose synthetic hormones will temporarily take over your body and symptoms that are suppressed and/or felt are because of this oral birth control pill.”
The reason you do not have a real period while taking the oral birth control pill is because as I mentioned, the birth control pill’s job is to prevent pregnancy from happening and the pill does this by stopping or shutting down ovulation from occurring at all. If you do not ovulate ie) release an egg or follicle to become fertilized in the presence of sperm, you do not get pregnant, hence birth control. However, by shutting down ovulation which is the main event of your menstrual cycle, you then do not cycle or have a true menstrual cycle.
“If I do not have a menstrual cycle while taking birth control pills, why do I bleed every month?” you say. Well, this is known in the medical terms as a chemical bleed. It is simply your body reacting to the drop in synthetic estrogen and progesterone (progestins actually, there is no progesterone in the birth control pill) while taking the sugar pills or nothing at the end of each pack, thus leading to the shedding of your uterine lining that has only built up due to the estrogen in the pill, not from menstrual cycling. This was mind blowing to me when I first learned this and I hope it is for you too! Ovulation is needed to become pregnant, but it is also so much more than that. Ovulation is very important for overall health including bone, cardiovascular, and brain or mental health. Women who have more ovulatory cycles have fewer diseases and risks for developing certain diseases later in life.
If you have more questions or concerns regarding the birth control pill or your period (or what you thought was your period), consider seeing a naturopathic doctor who specializes in women’s health or book an appointment today. All women should get the chance to know themselves and their body and what it does naturally without relaying on synthetic hormones. Extra knowledge and extra support can assist you in this journey.
Resource: Dr. Lara Briden, ND. “Period Repair Manual”