I've been debating all of this too. I just started Slynd, a progestin only birth control, and stopped it because I was due for a bleed, but I'm on the second day of no progestin and I don't feel good. I have started bleeding, but not much yet, just terrible cramps and deteriorating sleep. I'm not sure I can make it the 4 days without the progestin.
I do know many take progesterone/progestins continuously, even when they are still having periods, but I thought this might be causing breakthrough bleeding and multiple periods a month when I was doing it. I had a normal, if shortened, cycle before hrt that deteriorated on hrt. I know some others in perimenopause take the Slynd continuously, skipping the inactive pills, but I wonder if I will have this kind of miserable pms and bleeding all the time I had on nightly 200mg progesterone if I don't allow for a cyclical bleed.
I wonder if it's possible to take a shorter break from progesterone and still occasion a bleed, or to take a half dose of progesterone/progestin and still have enough of a drop in hormones that it supports my natural cycle happening. Has anyone tried this, or come up with other innovations to allow for a bleed without going through progesterone withdrawal?
Kara