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The advised week break in taking hormonal pills was devised as a way to please the Pope at the time, according to professionals in that area, and local doctors are now echoing national findings that it is not needed at all.
Those local health professionals were advised at a Sexual Health Study Day last November of the change in official guidance which has been commonplace since its introduction.
Some types of contraceptive pills prescribed to women and girls have included an advised one week break. Manufacturers have even included sugar pills in the packet to take daily during the break.
Updated guidelines show that there is in fact "no health benefit from the seven-day hormone-free interval" and that women can if they choose continue to take the combined hormonal pill to avoid monthly bleeds, cramps and other symptoms.
Professor of family planning and reproductive health John Guillebaud, spoke in The Telegraph last month about the 'sub-optimal' use of the pill and its origins 60 years ago.
"The gynaecologist John Rock devised [the break] because he hoped that the Pope would accept the pill and make it acceptable for Catholics to use. Rock thought if it did imitate the natural cycle then the Pope would accept it. When his campaign to get the pill accepted by the Pope failed, he just simply stopped being a Catholic, having been a committed one for his entire life.”
Pictured: Women and girls could avoid painful menstrual cycles.
Dr Lucy Joslin from Guernsey's Choices Family Planning and Sexual Health clinic confirmed it had been recently advised to change the way it prescribed the pill.
"The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health has recently produced new guidance for health professionals regarding the prescribing of Combined Hormonal Contraception and the advice to be given to women using it. This information was presented to local health professionals in November at the Sexual Health Study Day," she said.
"Pill taking without a break can work well for some women but won't necessarily suit or be safe for everyone. There are health benefits to using the combined pill, patch and ring but also some risks involved. Women in the Bailiwick should discuss this with their doctors to determine what is best for them."
Dr Joslin added: "Doctors have been advising women regarding extended pill taking regimes for many years in order to avoid bleeding and other side effects during the 'break' from their pills and the new FSRH guidance now gives a firm backing to this approach.
"Missed or late pills can make the contraceptive pill less effective, even more so if they are missed around the time of the 'break'. Not having a break can improve pill efficacy and reduce pregnancy risk. There are a number of different pill taking regimes that involve either running packs together and/or reducing the length or the 'break'. These should be discussed in detail with a health professional to ensure that this is safe to do. Some women may experience bleeding problems running packs together and anyone who is having problems with abnormal bleeding should speak to their doctor or nurse."
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