Birth control pills

You can delay or prevent periods with extended or continuous use of estrogen and progestin or progestin-only birth control pills. Your healthcare professional can advise you on the best pill schedule for you. Most often, you skip the pills that aren't active in your pill pack and start a new pack right away.

There also are birth control pills made to lengthen the time between your periods. Those you can get in the U.S. include:

• Jolessa This is a version of Seasonale that doesn't carry the brand name, called generic. You take active pills each day for 84 days, which is 12 weeks. Then you take pills that aren't active for one week. You get your period during week 13, about once every three months.
• Amethia, Camrese and Simpesse These are versions of Seasonique that don't carry the brand name. You take active pills for 84 days, which is 12 weeks. Then you take pills that have a low dose of estrogen for one week. You get your period during week 13, about once every three months. Taking low-dose estrogen pills instead of pills that aren't active helps ease bleeding, bloating and other side affects you can get when you don't take hormones.
• Rivelsa This is a version of Quartette that doesn't carry the brand name. With this 91-day regimen, you take active pills for 84 days, which is 12 weeks. Each pill has the same amount of progestin, but the dose of estrogen goes up three times during the regimen. The pills start with 20 micrograms (mcg), move up to 25 mcg and then move up again to 30 mcg. After that, you take one week of pills with very low estrogen. You get your period during week 13, about once every three months.
• Amethyst This pill has low doses of both progesterone and estrogen. You take it every day for one year. You have no times without hormones.