A
male
age
41-50,
anonymous
writes:I'm in a LDR, my girlfriend and I are in different countries due to school and we can see each other every three months or so. she is on the pill. why would a girl be on birth control if she is not supposed to be sexually active?
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female
reader, chigirl  +, writes (7 May 2014):
 Its not good for you to stop and start the pill every three months. That would ruin your cycle and would probably make you very uncomfortable. The pill is a hormonal birth control that affects the body. It's not like a condom that has ZERO effect on the body itself. To just stop and start the pill every other month or so would for one be pointless, and second it would be unwise when thinking about your health and well-being.
Lets start with informing you that it takes a week for the pill to start being effective. So she'd have to be on the pill for at least a week prior to meeting you. That means, spontaneous visits would not be possible, as she'd need to know at least a week ahead. Then, she would be wise to follow through with the entire month, in order to maintain protected. The semen can live in the body for around 5 days, so just quitting the pill the moment you live would mean she'd risk getting pregnant.
Next, the female body follows a natural cycle, along with the moon. We get our period monthly, and that period is the end of a cycle, wherein the body's hormone levels variate. The pill is adding hormones to make the body believe it is pregnant. The change in hormonal balance on a monthly basis can alone be enough to cause a woman stress, abdominal pain, becoming extra sensitive, breast swelling and being painful etc. Then you add in the extra hormones, that are known to often cause these bi-effects. And more, some even gain weight or have pimples etc. There's tons of side effects. If taken routinely, the added hormones from the birth control will become more routinely for the body, and might not cause any extra problems in the long run. But if you start and stop the birth control randomly, you will increase the chance of experiencing these side effects.
In addition, you completely wreck your natural cycle, which can cause bleeding at completely random times of the month as well. As if the things mentioned above aren't bad enough.
If you see each other every third month or so, that seems to be often enough for her not to want to put herself through the stop and start with the pill. To stop and start every third month seems to me a waste. I would probably do the same as her if I was in her shoes.
Now, of course, I can't read minds, I don't know the specific reason why SHE is on the pill non stop. You'd have to ask her to find that out. But this is more of a general answer to why a woman would stay on the pill despite seeing her boyfriend only every third month.
A
female
reader, Tisha-1  +, writes (6 May 2014):
 You don't stop and start the birth control pill every 3 months. It's a continual hormone regulation and that stopping/starting isn't something that is done to women.
Is there some lack of trust on your part about this relationship other than the routine hormonal regulation and pregnancy prevention that the birth control pill provides?
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A
female
reader, llifton +, writes (6 May 2014):
 Period regulation. My girlfriend is on birth control and believe me, it's not because she's afraid I'm going to knock her up lol.
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A
female
reader, So_Very_Confused +, writes (6 May 2014):
 Well if you have sex when you see her every three months then she's sexually active with you. That's one reason to be on the pill.
the other is that for many women the hormones in BCP help regulate their periods.
younger women can be made more regular and have less cramping and older women often use them for hormonal relief of menopausal and peri-menopausal symptoms.
I had a friend once who had her tubes tied. She married a man who had a vasectomy. At one point they had her on BCP for hormone regulation....
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A
female
reader, Honeypie +, writes (6 May 2014):
 I was on BC to regulate my period for years. Others take them to minimize the heavy periods and.. others again use them to control when and how long (more or less) they bleed. Like let's say you have a holiday planned and your period lands RIGHT in the middle of the holiday! DANG IT! Well, if you are regularly using the pill you can extend the days til next period.
ASK her. I mean if she is your GF, why can't you ask her?
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A
female
reader, CindyCares  +, writes (6 May 2014):
 Aren't you sexually active when you get together every 3 months ? If you are, you have your answer. It does not make sense , or any good to her body, to keep discontinuing the pill and resuming it every 3 months.
If you two aren't having sex, - well, you need to ask her. But, before freaking out :), remember that the pill is prescribed also for non various non contracceptive issues, from acne to irregular/ painful mentrual periods.
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A
male
reader, RevMick  +, writes (6 May 2014):
 Hi,
I think being on the pill is a wise thing today, it doesn't mean she is actively having sex.
To be effective the pill needs to be constantly taken to work effectively, as someone already mentioned. It helps with period pain and other things.
I wouldn't worry about your gf being on birth control.
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (6 May 2014): If you are having sex, then it's in order to not get pregnant when she DOES see you. You can't just stop taking it and then start again when you feel like it. You have to keep taking it!
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A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (6 May 2014): The best person to ask is your girlfriend.
Are you not sexually active with her when you do see each other every 3 months?
Is she a virgin?
Are you two planning to be sexually active in the future?
If you two are already sexually intimate or are planning to be then it makes sense for her to be on the pill. It wrecks the body to take them on and off sporadically. Each time you restart taking them, you go through some hormone imbalances and risk other possible side effects that you can't know in advance. So yes, it is logical.
Even if she's a virgin - she's going to want to be sexually active at some point so it's not insane that she's taking it.
I take the pill whether I'm in a relationship or not.
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A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (6 May 2014): Women take the pill when they are not sexually active because it regulates their menstrual periods and reduces pain and discomfort from heavy periods.
It also help control pre-menstrual syndrome which affects a lot of women and makes their lives miserable.
Presumably you and she are sexually active when you meet up every three months or so. Therefore she will need an effective contraceptive and if she uses the pill for contraception she will need to stay on it during the months you are apart for it to be efective. She can't just stop and start it to coincide with your visits.
Or would you prefer to go back to using condoms?
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