Hiii, I’m nearly at the placebo pill part of my first pack of the progesterone mini pill, but I recall my doctor saying I don’t have to take them if I don’t want bleeding and can just go straight to the next pack. I couldn’t remember exactly what she said so I looked it up, and based on the internet it seems to say that placebo pills aren’t actually necessary, they just include them so people feel safer by the bleeding to confirm in their minds they’re not pregnant — but this seems a little weird to me, can this really be the reason? I’ve never heard that said before. I’m wondering if anyone knows more about this and if I should just skip the placebos and not bleed?

What’s the brand of your pill called? The mini pill doesn’t usually have any break weeks. Skipping break weeks significantly lessens user error. Some people do feel safer seeing if they bleed but what they don’t know is that the bleeding is not a period and at the end of the day it doesn’t really tell you anything. Placebos were introduced so the church would be accepting of birth control a it would closer mimic a natural cycle. They are entirely optional.

The mini pill doesn't include placebos/breaks, you take it continuously

@aurielle I take the newer drospirenone pill which has 4 days of placebo (not a week though that’s my mistake), so i was pretty confused cuz i thought as a newer pill it will be based on up to date information, but there doesn’t seem to be a clear reason for this, so i’ll probably take it continuously like other mini pills

@Yi_eune Sorry I meant 4 days of placebo not a full week, but i take slynd which is apparently a newer type that for some reason includes placebo days different to other mini pills, and i can’t find a clear answer why. in that case, i’ll probably skip these!

@belle_123 oh my bad, I forgot that Slynd has placebos! It is true that they're not necessary at all and there's no need to have withdrawal bleeds on the pill besides personal preference

@belle_123 ah that might have caused the confusion on my end! Yea it’s fine to skip the placebos on Slynd, but in case you get your packs through insurance make sure they will cover the extra refills/pack(s) you will need by skipping those 4 days.