To me it this new BC sounds the same as a pill that makes you stop pooping.
Maybe poop isn't pleasant... but I don't want to just stop doing it.  ;) ;D
But that has nothing to do with whether or not it should be approved, just personal pref. ;)

I don't think the no-pooping pills exist by the way.... I just made that up. So don't ask me about them!  ;D

im with jenniferhughes on this, in that i'm not sure i would never want a period, but it is personal preference.  

just as a thought, that pill is going to alter your body rythms a lot huh, more so than the ordinary pills where you take a gap.  i think i would want to wait til it had been about for 10years or so to have it trialed more before taking it.     but it is personal choice.  if it works and isnt harmful then thats good news :)

To me it this new BC sounds the same as a pill that makes you stop pooping.
Maybe poop isn't pleasant... but I don't want to just stop doing it.  ;) ;D
But that has nothing to do with whether or not it should be approved, just personal pref. ;)

I don't think the no-pooping pills exist by the way.... I just made that up. So don't ask me about them!  ;D

Actually when we were in the States once my DH bought a laxative that supposedly got you going if you need to, or stopped you if you were going too far!  ;D It didn't work for him, so I gave him some of those "gentle women's laxatives"--you know, the pale pink ones. I told him they were Lydia Pinkham's Vegetable Compound!  :D
I also read on the Metamucil website (yes, they have one!) that M. can be used "either way"--which doesn't make any sense to me. It's either a red light or a green one, surely? Surely your body doesn't make an executive decision???
(Sorry, I've been listening to some old George Carlin from the 70's. ::) :P)

Yogaferret-
If you're not already on BC, talk to your doctor.  There are tons of different types.  I always had SEVERE cramping and other problems...and BC didn't seem to help, until I got on the brand I'm currently on, which is my miracle drug.  I went from having to take 3-4 ibprofen (can we say unhealthy?!?) to even make a dent in the pain, to not having to take anything at all.  The drug I'm currently on is a generic called "Apri", and it's 0.15 mg desogestrel & .03 mg estradiol, in case you wanna try it out.  It's regular BC, but you can take it continuously, if you need to.  That was my plan, but I found I didn't mind a really light period with no pain that only lasts 3 days...

not sure about the chocolate, although I know women crave them, but the red meat might be an iron thing.  hmm...

I was on Seasonale for a while and got really depressed and gained a bunch of weight.  :p  I wonder if this would do the same thing.  I just started on Yaz though, only 4 days of period.  :)

I wish I knew who the expert I heard was on NPR some time back...

She said that menstruation has been with humankind (and prehumankind) for 6 million years.  It does serve a purpose, but not the one we were all told in school and it is not quite the function we were told. Here goes and it is not short.

The lining of the uterus is affected by hormones, but it doesn't "build up" over the course of the month, but rather the tissues engorge about 5 to 7 days prior to the onset of menses.  The endometrial blood vessels engorge with blood and then "pinch off" the engorgement, which may account for cramping, at least in part.  When they pinch off, hormones aid in dissolving what amounts to blood clots in front of the pinch and it is shed. 

THe point of menstruation, this expert said, is that sperm heads carry bacteria into the female genital tract and the blood flow helps rid the uterus of potentially harmful bacteria.  We think of ovulation as the secondary function of the menstrual cycle and flow as the primary function.  It is actually the other way around.  The uterine lining is shed, cleaning of it bacteria prior to ovulation so that the egg won't encounter a bacterial problem with implantation.  If an fertile egg does implant, the uterus closes itself off so that further bacteria are not introduced.  If no egg is fertilized, then once again the uterus needs to protect itself as the open to the outside world organ that it is. 

This is why I would have trouble with the idea that no periods are good.  There is nothing wrong with occasionally skipping the inactive pills and starting a new pack to avoid a period for convenience like a vacation or getting married, or seeing a boyfriend whom you rarely see, business trips, etc. but all the time? I can't see it as a good thing.

BCPs have come a long way since they were introduced.  My mom took them when they first came out and developed blood clots in her legs from them, but she had had polio in 1952 and was confined to a wheelchair.  I have had zero luck on them.  I am meaner than mean on progesterone onlys and all we had when I tried them were things like Ortho-Novum.  I tried them again in my late 30s and early 40s, Loestrin at that time.  I had morning sickness, bloat, breast swelling and actual weight gain.  I have never tried the newer things like tricyclic ones or Seaonsale.  Given that they make me so very very sick with 24/7 vomiting after I start the second pack of pills, I can't see it.  My oldest daughter has tried Seasonale and we had to take her off at 2 months because she had had 4 periods in about 9 weeks lasting over 1 week at a time.  Yikes!

I actually wish that I had a period.  I have not had one in almost a year.  I am not on any BC, and can't really figure out why I have not had one in so long.  I am thinking it is probably a combination of psychological stress from school and physical stress from working out a lot.  I am thinking about finding a naturopathic doctor to go to that may help me figure this out...  So even though monthly bleeding is not that much fun - be thankful that you have one!  :-\

I agree with everyone that you should probably get checked out to make sure everything is alright. If you are alright and it's caused by stress and exercise, you could look into herbal emmenogogues (herbs that promote menstruation). These herbs should be used with caution if you could be pregnant, just so you know. There is a lot of information on the web if you google "emmenogogue" but here is one page http://www.sisterzeus.com/Emmeno.htm