Short answer… No!

But I’ll humor you with the long answer…

I hear all too often that patients are giving their body a “break” from “the pill”.

Maybe their friends told them they need to, or their Mum has got them worried that being on “the pill” long term (or at all) is bad!

So do you need a break? Is it bad for you?

No, you don’t and it’s not!

If you and your GP are happy with “the pill” as your contraceptive then it is completely fine to stay on it long term.

The biggest myths I hear about long term use are –

–  It can cause infertility

– The synthetic hormones don’t leave your body and build up over the years

– The longer you take the pill the higher your risk of blood clots and breast cancer

So let me set the record straight…

  • The pill is only active in your system for ~1-2 days – that’s why for it to work you need to take it everyday, and if you miss a pill you can ovulate and fall pregnant!
  • Your body breaks down the synthetic estrogen/progesterone in “the pill” just like it does your natural hormones. So, just like with natural hormones, they don’t “build up”
  • The risk of blood clots is highest in the first few months of starting/restarting the pill. So it may be more risky to stop and start the pill than to stay on it continuously
  • While there is a small increased risk of breast cancer on the combined oral contraceptive (i’ll do a post on this soon), this risk isn’t increased with the length of time you’re on “the pill”

Also don’t forget why you take the pill… to prevent pregnancy! A lot of unplanned pregnancies occur during  “a break” from “the pill”. When you stop the pill your cycle can be irregular and knowing when you’re ovulating is trickier to pinpoint. This makes it a high risk time for unplanned pregnancies.

So if you and your GP are happy with “the pill” please stay on it!

However, if your pill isn’t working for you, there are a lot of other great contraceptives. Keep an eye out on some post to come, or book a chat with your GP to see what alternative to the pill would suit you.