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Is it safe to have no menstrual cycle with birth control pills?
The new FDA-approved Lybrel oral contraceptive pill is the first of its kind that is designed to be taken 365 days continuously to eliminate regular periods. Find out how safe or danger this pill could be.

U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Lybrel (levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol) on May 22, 2007, which is the first low-dose combination oral contraceptive (90 mcg levonorgestrel/20 mcg ethinyl estradiol) for preventing pregnancy in women who have no known contraindications for this method of contraception. It is the first and only low dose oral contraceptive pill, which is continuous birth control pills that can be taken through out the year, 365 days a year. This pill will completely stop a woman’s period for a full year. However, if you stop taking this pill, you will get menstrual cycle once again within three months.

The Harvard Women’s Health Watch has recently taken the note on the Lybrel birth control pill that long-term safety data on Lybrel can not be ascertained now as the pill is introduced recently. Gynecologist, Dr. Anita L. Nelson, professor of OB-GYN at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California , Los Angeles , advises that all women using birth control can benefit from having more control over their bodies. She further claims, in regard to the withdrawal bleeding that occurs while using the pill, “women need to realize that there is no health benefit to this.”

“But we can anticipate the risk or side effects of Lybrel birth control pills similar to conventional oral contraceptives like blood clots in legs, lungs, heart or brain, breakthrough bleeding (the most common side effect; will often resolve after the first 3 cycles), nausea and vomiting (particularly for the first few cycles), vaginal infections, mood changes, increase or decrease in acne, dizziness or headache. Lybrel might do the same way and the affects of taking Lybrel pills continuously for upto one-year are still unknown, “ Stacey Williams, women healthcare professional from Chicago expressed her views on possible side effects of Lybrel birth control pills.

However, according to Wyeth Pharmaceuticals (the manufacturer of Lybrel), 59 percent of women taking Lybrel stopped bleeding after six months of use. Medical authorities state that there are no health risks or medical reasons women need to have a monthly period. Similarly, study at Planned Parenthood showed that after seven to 13 pill packs, women on Lybrel reported less nausea and breast pain than those on a 21-day birth control pill. Researchers found, in a different study, that three months of taking Lybrel reduced PMS and associated complaints in 114 women

For further information on birth control, please visit at birth control and Lybrel birth control pills to know more about Lybrel birth control pills, patches and other birth control methods and options. The above news is being published for general information and awareness and should not be taken as medical advice. If it is so, please consult your doctor or professional healthcare.