* birth control, periods, and freaking out.

[punkybunny.livejournal.com]

Hi, I'm 19 years old and have been taking some form of birth control pills for a year and a half now. I have just finished my third month of Aviane pills (on the placebo week of the third pack - i'm a sunday starter) - the first month I started my period on the Monday of my placebo week (with the two other kinds of birth control pills I always started the wednesday of my placebo week but I don't know if that significant), the second month I missed a couple pills and it threw off my body (I got nauseus and threw up and all that fun stuff) and ended up starting my period EARLY the week before my placebo pills but it seemed to be about the normal flow and such that I get while on the pill but nonetheless was freaking me out, last tuesday I had a stomache flu and spent the whole day throwing up and with diarriah (my spelling is horrible, sorry) so that might be affecting me but I started having some light bleeding on Friday (while I was still taking my last week of pills) and it's still going on today. It is much MUCH lighter than my usual period and is just the mucky brown stuff as opposed to the full out red stuff (does that make sense).

I'm just freaking out and wondering if that's my period for the month? should i be concerned that last month was weird and so is this month? should I possibly be worried that I'm pregnent (my boyfriend and i haven't had sex at all this month since i was freaking out about the weird period last month and before we always use a condom in addition to my pills)? should i call the doctor or something? or is this a normal sort of reaction?

help please, thanks.

(x-posted)

Comments

[taldragon.livejournal.com]

a. missing pills/illness/stress might throw off your menstrual cycle (the last two, i'd pretty much guarantee ;) )
b. i find that the first three months of a new BC method are always funky, because my body's getting used to the hormone levels etcetc.

if you're worried about pregnancy, then take a home test - but i'd suggest talking to your doctor or nurse, just to reassure yourself :)

[noncalorsedumor.livejournal.com]

Hey there!

My guess is that the discharge you're experiencing is just spotting, since it is both lighter and a different color. Also, as the above poster noted, missing pills, illness and stress can DEFINITELY throw off your cycle, and sometimes it can take a couple of months to adjust to a new BC pill prescription. All that said, if you're really freaking out it wouldn't be a bad idea to talk to your doctor, since she/he could put your mind at ease much more quickly than we LJ folk can. :-)

As an aside, to stave off nausea I use ginger (ginger ale, or ginger tea, or chewing a piece of crystallized ginger)--I have an impossibly weak stomach and am prone to pretty much any stomach ailment you can think of. I've found that the ginger really helps settle my stomach, and it might be helpful for you if you again wind up taking 2 pills in one day to catch up and feel a little nauseated.

[stripling.livejournal.com]

sounds fairly normal. you were probably spotting there a bit (the brown stuff) as a result of being sick. the pill is less effective if you're sick, but on the plus side, who wants to be having sex when they have the flu? and missing some days of pills definitely can throw the whole thing off. if you have trouble remembering to take them, maybe a different form of birth control would be better for you?

i'd say it's probably quite unlikely that you are pregnant, but it's always good to be sure with a test.

good luck!

[bookwitch.livejournal.com]

I agree that stress, illness, new bc pills, can all throw your menstrual cycle off.
The brown stuff, according to my ob/gyn, is "old blood" that just hasn't been cleared out before. Nothing to be concerned about there.

It's not a bad idea to call your doctor and ask about the weirdness. They may just tell you it's normal, but it's better to know (plus, if it's the pills and it's making you uncomfortable, you may need to be switched to another brand.)

Good luck!