"The freedom from menstruation � if the drug delivers as promised � sounds wonderful to some women. Others see the menstrual-suppression and birth-control drug Lybrel as an unnatural idea that will mess with an essential part of being female. "

"Rochester-area doctors say that stopping your period is safe � and not a new concept. Lybrel is the first birth-control drug approved for continuous use. But for years, doctors have instructed women to achieve the same thing, more cheaply, by skipping the placebo or no-pill week in packs of generic, steady-dose birth-control pills. "

""It's a well-studied, well-accepted practice," says Rochester obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Nancy L. Stanwood. Lybrel is a lower daily dose of the same hormones (estrogen and progesterone) in the modern pill. "

"The prescription drug, approved May 22 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is expected to reach pharmacies in July. When women stop taking Lybrel, fertility and menstruation resume, according to manufacturer Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. "

" You could have unpredictable spotting or breakthrough bleeding on this pill. In clinical trials of nearly 2,500 women ages 18 to 49, about half dropped out, many because of irregular bleeding and spotting. The problems decrease over time. Of the 860 women who stayed on the pill for a year and met criteria for evaluation, only 59 percent had no bleeding and no spotting in the final month. "

" Used correctly, Lybrel is highly effective, like other birth control pills, at preventing pregnancy. But if you do get pregnant, you may not be able to tell as quickly and obviously. Pregnancy has other symptoms such as nausea, increased urination, fatigue and weight gain. "

" Like other birth control pills, Lybrel is not recommended for women who smoke; Lybrel increases the risk of blood clots, heart attacks and strokes (though pregnancy carries higher risks); and Lybrel doesn't protect against HIV infection (AIDS) or other sexually transmitted diseases. "

" Wyeth hasn't yet set a price, but as a new, brand name drug, it won't be cheap. Birth-control pills typically cost $20 to $45 a month."

""I think a lot of women are interested in not having periods if they don't have to," says Dr. Robert Tatelbaum, chief of obstetrics and gynecology for ViaHealth in Rochester. For some, menstruation is so debilitating that they can't function at home, work or school. But other women have little discomfort and see their monthly cycles as part of what defines them as women, he adds. "

"Terlana Allums, 24, of Rochester, endorses controlling your period but she's leery of the studies finding that so many Lybrel takers experienced sporadic bleeding. She stopped Depo-Provera injections because of that side effect. "

"Jean Trouerbach, 48, of Henrietta, likes the idea of freedom from periods but questions the drug's effectiveness at making that claim: "You could be out somewhere in a white pair of pants and � uh oh." "

"Kristin Vangee, 39, of Webster, has a broader concern: "That sounds dangerous to not have a period every month. We're supposed to.""

"It's not dangerous, counters Stanwood, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at University of Rochester Medical Center: "Pregnancy is more dangerous." "

"Besides, having so many periods is a newer phenomenon. About 200 years ago, most women had far fewer periods because they spent so much time pregnant or exclusively feeding their babies with breast milk. "

"The bottom line for many women will be whether it's healthy to artificially stop menstrual periods by taking hormone pills, says Dr. Jeffrey Gordon, medical director of ViaHealth's outpatient obstetrics/gynecology. He says yes. "

"That's different, Gordon notes, from having periods stop or become scattered because of ovarian dysfunction, anorexia, a thyroid problem or other medical issue. When a period ceases for no known reason, that needs to be investigated. "

"Dr. Sareena Fazili at Unity Ob/Gyn at Parkway
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