I am taking birth control pills to keep my cycle regular. I am scheduled to be on my period the weekend of our vacation at the lake. Is there any way to safely alter my schedule so I start the week after or skip that week altogether? My husband has had a vasectomy, so I don't need the pills for birth control.

--Kristy

Sure -- this is one thing I loved when I was on the pill. If you want to change when your period is supposed to arrive, you can alter the way you take the pills. The easiest way to do this is to not take the seven placebo pills at the end of a 28-day pack; instead, go right to a new pack of pills. You will delay your period until you arrive at the placebos in that second pack.

Just for clarity, I'll restate those instructions: Most packs of pills contain 28 pills: the first 21 are the active pills and the last seven are sugar pills (placebos), there only to help you maintain your routine of taking a pill every day. Instead of taking those last seven pills, jump right to a new pack. You will get your period at the end of the second pack.

This method, while very good, is not foolproof. Occasionally a woman will have some breakthrough bleeding while trying to manipulate her period. Also, keep in mind that while it is perfectly fine to alter the schedule of an occasional period, you should not do this regularly (unless your doctor has instructed you to use the pill continuously for a medical reason, such as to treat endometriosis).