" There are advantages of Lybrel, especially for the 8 percent of women who suffer from debilitating periods and roller-coaster Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. It's also potentially attractive to women who simply don't want to deal with the monthly hassle. "

" But there are also disadvantages. Scientists have yet to fully understand why women menstruate and the long-term effects of a cycleless life. Women on Lybrel may experience undesirable side effects such as spotting and breakthrough bleeding. And those who take it must be vigilant about pregnancy tests. "

" The whole concept "sounds amazing" to Taylor Perry, 19, of Oakland. It's just that last part, about pregnancy, that makes her hesitant. "

" "That's the best day of the month, when I get my period," Perry said of the relief she feels. "

" "I would love to never have a period again," said Baltasar, 29, of Petaluma. "I always feel like I can't do certain activities, like swimming or camping." "

" "When I was traveling through remote parts of Asia and I ran out of my tampon supply, I was forced to get creative," said Long, of Alameda. "

" As for the elimination of bloating, cramps and Premenstrual Syndrome, Long is clear: "Well, that's great," she said. "If you can do away with that, why not?" "

" She's the type of consumer Wyeth, which developed Lybrel, is marketing to: the active woman who wants to "put her period on hold." Lybrel contains the same synthetic hormones as regular birth control pills but without the placebo phase. It is just as effective — 98 percent — at preventing pregnancy as regular birth control pills. "

" "Even the name sounds like 'liberate,'" said Nack, an associate professor at California Lutheran University. "Like it's freeing women from the chains of oppression that come from a monthly cycle." "

" Instead of eradicating periods, Nack said, we should be teaching young women that their natural body processes are positive. Hip widening, body odor, body hair and most other changes girls undergo have already been constructed as negative, she said. "

" Many women, including Nack, question whether extended contraceptive technologies such as Lybrel are medicalizing a biological life event. "

" Furthermore, after discoveries about the harmful effects of hormone replacement therapies, some women question how much pharmaceutical companies like Wyeth, which no doubt wants a piece of the $1.7 billion birth control industry, really know about female reproduction. "

" "There was a time when the medical establishment thought that PMS was all in our heads," she said. "

" Others feel a psychological and spiritual connection to their cycles. And that's what they're more concerned about losing. "

" "I can understand women with special cases might need this pill," said Patsy Keremian of Walnut Creek. Keremian no longer "worries" about her period, but her two grown daughters, 22 and 32, do. "But otherwise, I think it (your period) is just part of being a woman." "

" Many women have little understanding of their cycles — or bodies, for that matter, said Joan Morais, a fertility awareness teacher and spokeswoman for the San Francisco-based Red Web Foundation, which educates women and promotes a positive view of menstruation. "

" "Our natural cycle correlates with the seasons," Morais
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