QuestionI have been on the generic form of Ortho Tri-Cyclen (Tri Sprintec) for a few
years. I know that taking birth control pills continuously can eliminate
periods, but I am wondering if the fact that I'm taking a combination pill with
different levels of hormones would put me at risk for pregnancy when I went
from the higher dose of the end of the pack (before the sugar pill week) to
the lower dose of the first week of the new pack. Could I take two packs
worth of active pills consecutively, and then next month have my period, or
would I need to switch my prescription to a pill like Seasonale in order to do
this? I have a basic understanding of the way the pill works, but I don't know
exactly the implications of the different hormone levels of different brands of
the pill. Any info you can give me would be appreciated, thank you!
AnswerHi Emma,
It is possible to try and skip a period on pills with different doses (triphasic), such as Tri-cyclen. However, the method is a bit different than pills that have the same amount of hormones each week (monophasic.) Doing it the way you suggest won't put you at a greater risk of pregnancy, but the drop in hormones from the high dose in the last week to the low dose in the first week may be great enough to give you a period. Breakthrough bleeding is also very common. There are two methods that may work better and reduce the possibility of breakthrough bleeding:
1. Take the 21 active pills of your first pack as normal. At the 4th week, start a new pack but start it backwards, taking the 3rd week first, then the 2nd, then the 1st. Then take the 4th week for a period.
2. start with two packs. Take the 1st week of one pack, then the 1st week of the second pack, then take the 2nd week of each pack, then the 3rd week of each pack. So you should end up with 2 consecutive weeks of the lowest dose, then 2 weeks of the middle dose, then 2 weeks of the 3rd dose. Then take the placebo week and have a period.
If you just want to do this occasionally, then I think it is fine to stay on your current pill. Choose whichever of the two methods you think may be the least confusing for you. If you are interested in being on birth control continuously for a longer term and find that switching gets to be confusing, you may want to consider switching to Seasonale or another brand of monophasic pill.
Neither of the methods I describe, nor the method you mentioned, put you at a greater risk for pregnancy. As long as you you take the pills on time, do not miss any, and do not go for more than 7 days without any active pill, you will still be protected.
I hope this helps. If you have further questions let me know.
-Mia
