Stopping your period using birth control is a safe and effective way to take control of your menstrual cycle, either to soothe painful symptoms or simply to make life more convenient. There is no medical reason to continue having a period if you are taking hormonal contraception—the week of placebo pills built into every pack of birth control were put there to provide reassurance for women that they were not pregnant. These pills trigger a "withdrawal bleed" (not a real period) that more closely follows a woman's "natural" cycle, but it’s not medically necessary! You are still protected from pregnancy if you begin your next pack instead of taking the placebo pills, and you shouldn't experience bleeding after your first 3 packs.