Almost 50 years ago the combined oral contraceptive pill was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in preventing pregnancy, ushering in a new era of hormonally-based birth control. Now, in addition to the original “Pill” women can chose from an overwhelming variety of oral contraceptives, from different hormone combinations and doses to different Pill schedules that result in skipping or stopping menstruation entirely. Most of us have heard that the Pill contains hormones that suppress ovulation, but how does this really work? And with the recent marketing of Lybrel — a Pill designed to stop menstrual cycling entirely — we might wonder how far we can reasonably take this hormonal control. Simply put, how does the mechanism of oral contraceptives guide us in their use, and what (if any) are the repercussions of eliminating menstruation?… Continue reading Taming the Cycle: How Does the Pill Work?