Other than PMS, irregular periods are one of the most common complaints about menstrual cycles. Although they are not necessarily a cause for worry, they can sometimes be a symptom of other health problems.

Birth control pills allow women to control their own fertility by preventing unwanted pregnancies. The birth control pill can also regulate menstrual cycles, which is helpful for women with irregular periods, polycystic ovarian syndrome or endometriosis.

Birth control pills are not only a form of contraceptive for women—they also provide additional benefits for the user. Many women use birth control pills to control their period, either to regulate when their period happens, have a lighter period or preventing a period from occurring every month.

Birth control pills, commonly called "the pill" are used to prevent pregnancy and regulate a woman's menstrual cycle. Typically, a woman will take one active (hormone-containing) pill per day for three weeks, then will take either no pills or sugar pills for one week.

Spotting between periods is a common ---and often annoying -- part of being female. As many as 9 to 14 percent of menstruating women deal with spotting, according to a January 2012 "American Family Physician" article.

Following a nutritious diet is an important part of maintaining a healthy pregnancy and giving birth to a healthy baby. However, because you’re immune system is weakened during pregnancy, you’re more susceptible to the harmful effects of bacteria and other food-borne illnesses.

When Amanda Saxon found out her pap came back abnormal, her doctor told her not to worry. A woman her age would have no trouble clearing the human papillomavirus, the likely culprit. So the then-21-year-old college student from Tampa, Florida, went back to her normal routine.

Hormonal control of ovulation has been available to women since the early 1960s with the introduction of “the pill.” Initially, dosages of estrogen and progesterone were available only in pill form, but in 2011 they are offered as injections, patches and implants.

Hormonal birth control suppress other hormones that are needed for female fertility. Both oral contraceptives and other forms of hormonal birth control use either a combination of synthetic estrogen and progesterone or progesterone alone.

Women have three main sex hormones--progesterone, estrogen and testosterone. Each of these hormones plays numerous roles in the body, and a healthy balance of the three is important for the body systems to function properly.

The Guttmacher Institute estimates that 5.5 percent of American women choose the IUD as their method of birth control. When choosing an IUD, you have the choice between the Mirena, a hormonal IUD, and the Paragard, a copper, non-hormonal IUD.

Many couples choose to delay or forgo having children. Some couples choose to use natural methods of family planning, such as the fertility awareness method or abstinence. Many others choose to use artificial methods of family planning.