Hey thats awesome. I hope it helps stop them. I know how miserable you have been with the migranes. Hey see you next week in London woo hoo. You need to come visit Toronto before you go back to Gerorgia :)

Wow, bodies are strange things. The first pill I was on, I tried to take consecutive months of pills for precisely the "rescheduling" purpose (like you, I was all, "I can DO that? Wow") but after the first week, came down with the WORST migraines ever. I could not stand up, they were so bad. So I think it's interesting that mine were/are brought on by excessive hormones, while yours are brought on by waning hormones. I wish you luck--anything is better than incapacitation.

Your non-knitting posts are always more interesting than anyone else's non-knitting posts! I hope the migraines are gone with this change. As someone who has monkeyed unofficially with her cycle via pills for a while and is now on the 90-day plan, I think you may be surprised how easy the transition is from "every 30" to "every 90" - at least in this one case, it really is better living through chemicals.

Keeping my fingers crossed for you, chica!

Obsolete, huh? Hmm, I wonder who provided funding for that book.

I really hope this works for you, Jodi!

I too love my period =) Thankfully, I only get a bit bloated or crampy on the first day... I don't know what I'd do if I got migraines... Good luck with the pills-- I hope this works for you!

I have gone this route in the past to see if my migraines would be helped. Alas, for me, no such luck. I felt relatively normal while taking the pills continuously, however, the period I did have was quite heavy. Just a warning...

It looks to me that the title "Is Menstruation Obsolete?" is just as likely the responsibility of someone in the publisher's marketing department rather than coming directly from the authors. Unfortunately, pretty much everything about Elsimar Coutinho (at least, everything that's not about this book) is in Portugeuse, but Sheldon Segal's affiliations are easier to trace. The bio on the page you linked to indicates that he's a "founding director of the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy", who now seem to be known as the Center for Reproductive Rights (www [dot] crlp [dot] org). Their mission statement: "The Center for Reproductive Rights uses the law to advance reproductive freedom as a fundamental right that all governments are legally obligated to protect, respect and fulfill." The book's title may be sensationalistic, but I wouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater (or is that a totally inappropriate cliche in this case?).

I really hope this works for you. Migraine is an unholy misery of a condition.
I get migraines every month when I bleed, which - on a bad month - are still around for the next lot to start. Joy! For me it is a food thing. The more crap I eat (sugar mainly) the worse the migraines. I have been soooo controlled this month and only a dull ache for not long. However my ability to control what I eat is legendarily poor so we'll see. Good luck!

i'm really interested to see how everything turns out. thanks for putting this up.

Hope this new pill regimen works for you. I used to suffer from horrible migraines associated to my cycle and I did hate the bleeding because it was torrential plus I was psycho every month. No, it was not regular PMS I was psycho. Then with menopause I had a terrible depression to the point of being almost catatonic. I am much better now, but please go easy on the women who hate their menstruation. It's very hard not to hate something associated with so much physical and psychical pain.

Also at the risk of angering you, are you sure the migraines are caused by low estrogen? Maybe I am just different because now that I am producing little or no estrogen is that I get no migraines, and feel better mentally. Sorry, Jodi, I am an old lady. (Just kidding!)

Migraines are such an incredible drag. I still get one once a month right before my cycle, and I'm not taking hormones. For a period of time I had migraines much more frequently, and those extras were traced to a food allergy. It took a journal to nail it down. I support you in doing whatever it takes to feel better, and I'm crossing my fingers for you that this works :-)

Wow, Jodi, I really hope it works for your migraines. Years and years ago I stopped taking the pill because I was having terrible migraines. Going off the pill helped me immensely. I have far fewer migraines. I'm not saying that to suggest you stop the pill, just relating my story. I had other problems with the pill too and have no need for birth control anymore. I think you are absolutely correct in feeling anything you feel about your period, it's your body. I hope you are able to take better control of it and get your migraines taken care of.

If my migraines could be cured through hormones, I would do it so fast it's not funny. Mine are sinus/light sensitivity/too much work on the computer related and make me feel worse than anything else I have ever dealt with. Good luck!

Hey - working in the biz that I do and having grown up working in my father's pharmacy, I used to help fill the prescriptions of women who were taking consecutive packages of BC to avoid migraines.

In fact, I work with someone who has migraines for the same reason as you. It has really helped her quality of life to not get migraines every single month. Hers are so bad that she often passes out.

I know what you're saying, though, about the monthly reminder. It's nice to see it come along. The migraine that tags along just really sucks.

If you're looking for more info, let me know. I may have some stuff at my office.

I rejoice every time my period comes. The only thing I ever hated about it was the backaches I used to get. I'm very happy to be menstruating. I hope to continue doing it well into my 50's.

I really hope that the pills help! I can barely stand having a regular headache once every 6 months or so, I can't imagine having regular migraines.
That article about the obsolete periods is kook-y. It amazes me what people pull out of their bums.

Where are the pretty pictures of ponies? I came here for ponies!

I WANT MY PONIES, DAMMIT!

Sorry NWJR, only cotton ponies here today.

Peter's absolutely right, I should have looked into the guys who wrote that book more closely (see, that's what I have my own personal librarian for). I jumped to conclusions because the premise scares me. But this Mr Segal is a feminist man, and seems to have women's best interests at heart even if he is positing some scary ideas.

I read this really great article about the inventors of the Pill and how regular monthly menstruation is basically a modern invention.

I also love to get my period. I'm so deathly afraid of getting pregnant that I practially throw a party in the stall when it starts. I do get PMS but nothing so bad that I would give up the injection of sanity that sloughing my uterine lining give me.

Good luck with the experiment.

It's so interesting how hormones affect us, and how they affect us all differently. Good luck with the pills. Migraines are evil. Anything you can do to get rid of them is a good thing, to my mind!

I have heard that modern women menstruate a lot more than our foremothers/sisters, what with having fewer children and all, so maybe we should be balancing it out whatever way we can.

I was never happy about menstruation. Pain, anger, depression, anemia.... I had a hysterectomy 6 weeks ago and I have to confess that I will not miss it. I still have one ovary, though, so it will be interesting to see how it will affect me.

That's actually not uncommon. Fluctuation in progesterone is normal but the body has such intricate checks and balances that some things can easily go off... There are a few other things that can be cleared up with birth control pills. I'm not telling what it's done for me... Although I CAN say that I haven't had a period since I've been taking them...

there is one other thing you might try, if you have not. Migraines broght on by fluctuations in homones are not uncommon. Some women have had success reducing or getting rid of them by taking magnesium. like a vitamin.

This actually makes sense but i'm not going to bore you with the biochemical details. it's cheap, it's easy, and it may give you a way to not have to take the pill.

I'm surprised your Doctor didnt mention it...

Good luck

Good luck! I do so hope it works out for you. I too must go on the continuous pill cycle due to extreme bleeding. I tend to pass out. I Love my body and the way it is supposed to function, but as with you and the migraines... I kinda need to stay concious.

(btw I love the skirt at knitty)

I can't wait to find out if this works! I've been on bc pills since I was 17 to give me a regular cycle (which I had never had before). Four years ago I started getting migraines during that fourth week when I took the placebo. My gyno put me on a new pill that supplements the hormones that your body loses during that fourth week, and it helped a bit, but I still take two meds to TRY to keep from getting migraines. And they're only successful about 50% of the time. ARGH.

In general, I think the relationship between birth control pills and periods is an uneasy one. The reasons why the inventors of the pill had women bleed at all were strange - I think the beliefs of the Catholic church were involved? This might be something else for your librarian to look up. In any case, I find the pills that they sell and advertise on TV now that only give you a period every three months to also be a strange thing. No easy answers.

If you're going to be tracking when you get migraines anyways, you might also keep track of what you eat when you get them. My mom has horrible food triggers but has now mostly learned to control them through diet (although sadly, she now can't eat chocolate, dairy, nuts, preservatives, etc). Something to consider.

hope it worked out well this week!

Communists in the summer house! That's my favorite euphemism! I use it all the time!

You are an extremely with-it lady, so I won't tell you to be careful with this new regimen because you surely know all that stuff. I can sympathize, though, and I hope this--or something--works for you soon.

Hi,

I just started reading your blog recently when I found out you're from southern Ontario (I live in London and went to UWO). I also get severe migraines and am very interested in how your experiment goes. I haven't been reading for very long so I have some questions for you.
Do you also get regular headaches or just migraines? And do you only get them when you stop taking the pill? Also, do you ever see flashes of light before you get a migraine?
I ask all these questions because, after suffering headaches most of my life, I am finally starting to consider seeing a doctor about them and I am curious how common my symptoms are. Also, I was told that since I do sometimes see flashes of light before a headache, combined with the estrogen in the pill, could make me more likely to have a stroke. I want to seek a second opinion on that one.

Sorry for all the questions. I hope your experiment works. Migraines suck.

Good luck with your migraine control! Although I don't get migraines regularly, mine are linked to hormones. After I had my third child, right after the birth I had horrific migraines for about 6 weeks as my body readjusted itself. Unfortunately, I am more often affected by the pill than migraines, so I can't take the pill to control the hormones. My mother is the same and she took beta blockers for years. If this is any consolation, the closer she is to menopause, the fewer the migraines. She also finds if she drinks lots of water, it helps as well. Go figure!