group menstruation while on HBC?

[jenn-possible.livejournal.com]

I have searched the internet all over for this, but I can't find anything about it.

I have been on the pill for about six years and have lived with female roommates since September. For the first few months, my period was out of wack from moving to grad school, and since I've come back from winter break, I've been having my roommates' period and mine!

Basically, I have breakthrough bleeding when my roommates are menstruating (all at the same time, of course) and then my own period during my pill's "off week." This happened a few years ago when I was an undergraduate, and I actually quit the pill for a few months to sync up with my roommates' periods. When I went to the Women's Health Center last week, the nurses were amazed that anyone could "group menstruate" while on the pill. The nurse practitioner said it was just annoying breakthrough bleeding and put me on a slightly higher dose pill.

Basically, I just want to know if anyone else has experienced this. I know most women conform to the dominant woman's cycle, but I've never heard this happening with someone on HBC. Am I just incredibly sensitive to other women's phermones?

Comments

[cbackson.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's really interesting! My guess is that you are just very sensitive--there's been a lot of controversy about whether menstrual synchronization actually exists, and one of the issues in determining whether it does appears to be that women vary a great deal in their sensitivity to hormones. For example, I've never experienced the period-syncing effect, despite having lived with women and groups of women lots of times.

Here's a link from Emory University about it:
http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetContent.aspx?token=8482e079-8512-47c2-960c-a403c77a5e4c&chunkiid=156991

[jenn-possible.livejournal.com]

Good link - I didn't see that one. Thanks!

[alix-ivey.livejournal.com]

I just switched to a higher dose BC for basically the same reason you just said, I just assumed my doctor was right when he told me the dose wasn't high enough. But my sister is on HBC too (a higher dose than mine *had* been) and my spotting came the week before my period when she was on hers. I guess I don't have a real answer here, I had never thought of it before. But it does seem like I may have went through the same thing you did.

[jenn-possible.livejournal.com]

If it hadn't happened twice, with 2 entirely different sets of roommates, I'd think I was crazy. But after years on the pill, why would I just randomly spot now that I'm living with girls again? I've even tried to not know when my roommates were menstruating just in case I'm subconsciously tricking myself to spotting, but then I end up crampy and bleedy and I check the bathroom trash can and think, "Oh, I see."

It's just so weird! (and obnoxious)

[dreammeanyway.livejournal.com]

could you move your placebo week to when your roommates are having their period? I've never heard of it overriding HBC, but that seems simpler than fighting it.

[ilikerivers.livejournal.com]

My periods synced up with my girlfriends when both of us weren't using HBC. Now she is and it's messed us both up I think. I ovulated twice and my period is really late and she is experiencing ovulation-like symptoms even though she shouldn't be. I have cramps when she has her period and vice-versa even though mine didn't come.

Synchronization is really weird!

[brague.livejournal.com]

This happened to me, too. My roommate started using birth control before me and it moved my period around until I started using birth control, too.

[celestialstarco.livejournal.com]

I've never gotten into sync with anyone. Ever. Some of the girls in my group don't live together, but their periods are in sync.
Maybe some people just sync up, and others don't.

Did you react badly to the pill at first? Or does your mood change throughout your period? Maybe your more sensitive to hormones?

[ladygaia87.livejournal.com]

Years ago, I was in sync with my friend Jen. I've almost always been in sync with my mom, or close to it. (Which, totally weirds me out that we have our periods at close to the same time)

[https://users.livejournal.com/likeastar-/]

My mom always started two days before me. Always. And she knew I was bad with keeping track, so when she got hers she'd let me know. haha. It was totally weird.

[ladygaia87.livejournal.com]

I find it really weird that I usually start a few days before my mom, then she starts. Even after me having babies, after each baby my cycle was STILL more or less in sync with my mom's. Though, I think its rather nice knowing that she can keep track of my period with hers!