i dont think that would do much taking them for a few days, u take them daily so your body can get used to the horomones in your body , there arent to many side affects when taking them regularly. If ur only taking them 3 days a month i doubt that it will help with the painful periods at all. maybe talk about a different birth control method such as the shot or a IUD to help.

Is it that you feel their is a "stigma" attached to taking birth control, like you have to be having sex to be on it? It's so not true. I was on ortho as a teen, and it wasn't related to sex at all. Many other women get on it for the reason you are: to reduce pain. Others still use it to regulate their period, or reduce acne.

There are herbs and medicines you can take that are non prescription, that you take about a week before your period to reduce cramps and pms. I think those may work better for what you want, and not a prescription.

Thanks so much for the input. To answer Eiri's question, my reason for not wanting to take the pill full time is a little hard to explain but basically I'm very sensitive to medication and have never liked taking things that alter the body's chemistry or natural way of operating. I know that can sound weird to people but I've been dealing with the pain from endo, migraines, etc well by keeping my emotions chill, breathing through it, keeping it light, etc but some medications can make it harder for me to do that cuz I don't have as much control. At the same time I don't wanna be stupid and take the pill incorrectly and make it worse, i just thought maybe taking the pill for a few days before my period might help my body not crash quite as hard and take a little bit of the edge off the pain. I hope this makes sense and doesn't sound too weird Again I really appreciate any input

For you then, I would advise a premenstrual pill, they are over the counter, available in any drug store

You only take a few in the days leading up to your period. To my knowledge they're totally natural, and kind of like premenstrual vitamins.