Periods -- Who needs them anyway? Women have mixed feelings

By Sabriya Rice, CNN
May 6, 2010 -- Updated 1435 GMT (2235 HKT)


(CNN) -- Fifty years ago, women obtained a new level of control over their reproductive systems. The introduction of the birth control pill meant they could have sex without getting pregnant, decide how far apart to have their children and they could even decide when -- or whether -- to have a monthly period.
Women typically received 21 days of active pills, which contain hormones that prevent the ovaries from releasing eggs. That was followed by seven days of placebos, during which the body resumes as if having a regular menstrual cycle. Today, 19 percent of women between ages 15 and 44 are using that form of contraception according to the CDC, and their attitudes about what the pill can do for them continue to shift.

(Source: www.cnn.com)

Continue reading...