Understanding Irregular Periods on OrthoEvra: A Medical Q&A

Question
Hello. I'm 26-yr-old and have been on OrthoEvra for about two years. Here's my question. How important is it to have a period every month when it's regulated by pills or patch? I mean, I've seen an ad for a pill which makes you have seasonal period (4 times a year). So, I'm wondering if it is physiologically dangerous to skip a period every other month by continuing wearing patch for 7 weeks. Thank you very much.

Answer
Originally, when the first birth control pills were developed, it was arbitrarily decided to cause breakthrough bleeding every month, merely to mimic the regular menstrual cycle. There really is no need to have monthly bleeding. (it is not really a period but only a breakthrough bleeding caused by a drop in circulating hormones). The new Seasonale birth control pills give you a "period" every 3 months. However, there is a lot of irregular bleeding within those three months that some women are not comfortable with. We often continue birth control pills to avoid a period for special occasions (weddings, vacations, etc). I do not know if it will work as well with the patch because I have not tried it with the patch, but it sounds reasonable in theory. I doubt that it is dangerous, but it may mess up your cycles.