Hi, I would really appreciate any information regarding possible side effects or safety concerns that may occur with taking a "break" from birth control.

Here's my situation: I have been on the pill for a little over 3 years now without any problems. My fiance has just left for Iraq and we have been told to expect a 15 month deployment. I see no reason to use birth control while he is away as I will not be having sex. I have also been told [not by a professional] that taking a break from the synthetic estrogen would be a good thing to do for my body.

I am considering taking a break from birth control for now and about 6 months from now or so [during my fiance's R&R leave] starting it again [starting a new pack at least one month before he comes home to ensure it will be effective].

Then when he leaves again [from R&R -this is a 2 week period] stopping the birth control and then eventually [about 15 months from now] starting it again so it will be effective when he comes home.

Questions:

Is this a safe and effective plan for my body?

Would it be better for me to simply continue the use of birth control during this period?

If I do stop using the pill for this 15 month period would it be better to use condoms instead of starting and then stopping the use of pills again during his R&R leave?

Is taking "breaks" from the pill a good idea for my body; are there any positives or negatives in doing so? This is especially relevant to me in that I am not sure how many future deployments to Iraq I can expect.

Thank you for your time!