Many Women Modifying Menstruation Cycles: UO study

A large number of women aged 18 and older prefer to delay or miss out their monthly menstruation cycle by not following the instructions of birth-control pills and other hormonal contraceptives, according to a study published in the journal Contraception.

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Oregon and Eastern Michigan University.

"These findings emphasize the need for health care providers to carefully interview combined hormonal contraceptive users on how they are using their method - for example, many women may be skipping pills to extend their cycles," researcher Christopher Minson, a human physiology professor at the University of Oregon, said in a press statement. "With a greater understanding of the issues, health care providers may be able to more effectively engage in conversations with college-aged women and educate them about available options."

The research finding indicates that reducing the rate of menstruation is safe and can even be beneficial in certain cases. There is an increase in the trend of women turning to hormonal contraceptives to alter their bleeding cycles.  However, most women learn about the option from non-medical sources, and there is no definite reason as to why they opt for it.

The researchers conducted a survey on undergraduate and graduate students. They noticed that nearly 17 percent of the participants reported altering their menstrual pattern, and not paying enough attention to the instructions that come along with hormonal contraceptives such as vaginal contraceptive rings, birth control pills and transdermal contraceptive patches.

Nearly half of the women reported choosing the option for the sake of convenience or scheduling purposes. Almost 28.9 percent said it was their personal preference, and 16.7 percent women said they do it to reduce symptoms associated with the menstrual cycle.

The researchers were surprised to see that those women who prefer having no menstrual periods were less likely to alter their cycles when compared to those who preferred one cycle per year. Women with one cycle per year have 17 percent greater chances of altering their hormonal contraceptive regimen.

The study suggests that health care providers should educate women on the use of hormonal contraception according to their personal requirements.