autism and seasonale

a parent wanting to place a 9 year old with autism who has started her period, heavy flow, on the pill seasonale, for the purpose of only having a period every three months.  the child and family are both having a difficult time dealing with the period.  is this safe and or do you recommend this treatment for this child.

[Elaine Brown, MD]

Hi!  A tough situation.  I think that Seasonale is a very reasonable alternative. It is probably safer than depot provera (another one that used to be used frequently in cases like this) given that there should be no concerns about bone density.  Another possibility is Lybrel which supposedly has a withdrawl (withdrawal) bleed only once yearly. Just be aware that both of these pills have significant breakthrough bleeding initially; still, that should be easier to deal with than heavy flow.

In a case like this one, I would believe that the benefits would outweigh the risks.  The pill may not be necessary forever depending upon her level of functioning as she grows up, but it also addresses the issue of contraception which may come up in the future too.

Good Luck!

Dr B