New Online Resources and Interactive Tools to Help Women Understand Their Menstrual Cycle and Explore Their Available Contraceptive Options

A national survey, commissioned by the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP) suggests that women lack a clear understanding of their menstrual cycle. The survey reveals that many women know surprisingly little about how their menstrual cycle works and how hormonal contraception affects their cycle, and shows intrigue among many women about using hormonal contraception to suppress their period. The survey revealed that:

* Sixty-seven percent of women surveyed feel that it is natural for women to have their period when they are on the pill, even though hormonal contraception blocks ovulation; without ovulation, there is no menstrual period.

* Almost half of women surveyed (47 percent) believe that every woman's menstrual cycle should be 28 days or about every month, even though women's cycles vary greatly in length.

* Fifty-eight percent of women worry that menstrual suppression would affect their ability to have children in the future, even though menstrual suppression has no negative effect on future fertility.

"We were surprised to learn that 67 percent of the women surveyed believe it is natural to have a period while on the birth control pill," said Beth Jordan, MD, ARHP medical director. "In fact, monthly bleeding that occurs during the traditional seven-day break from combined hormonal contraception is not menstrual bleeding at all, but a symptom of the short-term hormone deprivation known as withdrawal bleeding."

The survey also reveals that women experience contradictory feelings about the necessity of the period and the impact it can have on their lives. For example:

* Fifty percent of women feel that the monthly menstrual flow shows they are in good health, while 40 percent would choose not to have their period at all.

* Forty-eight percent of the respondents feel that their period is a reminder of their womanhood, while 58 percent would not miss their periods if it disappeared.

The period has changed significantly over time. Women today experience vastly different reproductive lives compared to women centuries, or in some instances, just decades ago. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors had far fewer periods than the modern women, as they started menstruating later, began childbearing earlier in life, had more pregnancies, and breastfed for a longer duration of time (decreasing fertility). In contrast, women today start menstruating earlier, begin childbearing later in life, have fewer pregnancies, and breastfeed for a shorter duration of time. As a result, women today experience three times as many periods during their lifetimes as their hunter-gatherer ancestors (an estimated 450 periods today compared to an historical average of 150).

In an effort to provide education about the menstrual cycle and the effects of hormonal contraception on their cycle, ARHP has launched new on- line resources http://www.arhp.org/menstruationRC)

This new interactive web tool is in an easy-to-read format, graphically demonstrates and allows a woman to explore and learn about:

-- what happens to her body during her entire cycle, both on and off hormonal contraception,

-- menstrual suppression -- what it is and how it works, and

-- how different hormonal birth control methods suppress menstruation