Afraid to ask?

CAN I SKIP A CYCLE?

Q

I don’t want to bother my GP with this as I know they are under such pressure. I’m planning an around-theworld trip, which has been rearranged three times. A nurse friend of mine tells me that she runs three packs of her contraceptive pill back-to-back and only has five bleeds a year. Is this safe to do?

A

Yes. When the combined pill was first designed it was thought women would want a regular monthly cycle, but there is now a pill designed to give just five bleeds a year. What your nurse friend is doing is called tricycling and is very common practice.