(no subject)

[tryanotherdiet.livejournal.com]

I took Cilest for 10 days, starting on the second day of bleeding (my doctor told me to start on the first, but it was so light I wasn't sure.) My period stopped a day or 2 after taking the first pill
On the 11th day, Thursday, I took my pill in the morning, at about 11am and left the packet on the counter (damn it!).

That evening I had some blood spotting, only a tiny bit, but I didn't worry because I know things like that can happen when you first start, right?
So I had unprotected sex that night and morning, until I realised I didn't have my pill pack with me, so I didn't after about 9am.

I was told by my doctor that each pill provides contraception for 24HOURS, starting right from the first pill.
So I got my pill sent to me on Saturday, took it in the morning and then had sex again in the evening, even though I had MISSED Friday's pill.
I didn't have the leaflet that came with the pack until Monday, when I realised that it warns "If you miss a pill you should use extra protection for the next SEVEN DAYS". I had thought I was alright because of what my GP said.

HOWEVER, remember I said I had some spotting on Thursday?
It got gradually worse, on and off over the weekend and by Monday it had turned into a full flow with cramps, so it feels like a period and not like it could possibly be spotting, or (another idea I had) that I might have had a cut or something that caused bleeding.

I am confused because:
- I only missed one days pill, and the leaflet doesn't say anywhere in the section about missing a day, that it will cause a period to start.
- I have continued taking the pill regularly since Saturday morning, so shouldn't the period have stopped?
- If I hadn't been on the pill, my period would NOT have been due yet, so it can't be that the pill has just not taken effect yet.
- My pack ends next sunday, I don't know whether to stop for seven days like you're supposed to or carry on into the next pack (It says in the info that it's OK to miss a period by occasionally running packs into each other) Because A. I've essentially already had this months period and B. I'm seeing my boyfriend again when the pack ends, so if all this confusion hadn't happened I would STILL have considered running the packs into each other.
- And FINALLY, the big one: What are the chances that I could be pregnant, having had unprotected sex the day after I missed a day? Should this mysterious period be a sign of relief that I'm not?

I feel like I may be fussing over nothing, as I know odd things can happen when you first start taking the pill, but I wasn't aware that a full period could happen while taking the pill.

I will go and see my GP when I have time, and a more complete story to tell, I kind of want to wait a day or 2 and see what happens, but I'd appreciate any advice, shared experience or whatever you have to offer.

Comments

[taldragon.livejournal.com]

if you miss a pill, you need to use back up for 7 days afterwards. (11am thurs to 11am sun = 48 hours :) )

remember that you're changing your hormone levels, so i'd suspect the cilest is the cause of the 'period' - i found that it did strange things to my cycle for about 3 months before settling down.

as you've just started it, i wouldnt run the packs together but that's your choice (although i thought Cilest comes with 28 pills per pack so you take it til the end of the pack and start a new one? i dont remember).

personally, i'd ask my GP and possibly test in 2 weeks just to be 100% sure.
(otherwise, try amipregnant, as they might be able to tell you more about your chances of pregnancy)

[sioneva.livejournal.com]

If she's had a period-type flow (ie, heavy with cramping), it would be next to a miracle if she were pregnant. Implantation bleeding is very light and spotty.

[taldragon.livejournal.com]

i didnt think there'd been enough time for implantation? i suggested Tryanotherdiet test mainly for her own peace of mind :)

[sioneva.livejournal.com]

Implantation usually takes anywhere between 9-16 days, if I recall correctly...but seriously, she shouldn't worry not just because of that but because having bleeding that heavy means that it would be essentially impossible for any egg that NEEDED that uterine lining to survive to still be in the uterus, even if it had managed to implant in under a week. So, unless she's got two of them, it's pretty unlikely that she'd be pregnant ;)

[tryanotherdiet.livejournal.com]

thanks, that sounds very reassuring.
for all the worry and confusion the extra period has caused, I have to admit it IS a relief that it's a sign that I'm probably NOT pregnant.
If everything still doesn't feel normal in 2 weeks I will definitely take a test, but I'm kind of hoping I'll have settled in to the pill cycle a bit more by then.

Another question, if I DID get pregnant, what effect would continuing the pill have?
Would it kill the pregnancy or what?

[sioneva.livejournal.com]

So far as I know there would be no ill-effects, but you should contact your GP to be sure as I'm not a doctor and haven't really looked into what effects the Pill would have an a pregnancy. If somehow an egg managed to implant despite the heavy bleeding (again, this is EXTREMELY unlikely), I wouldn't think the Pill would have any real effect on it. According to a couple of sites I've read (again, I wouldn't take them as absolute truth) the Pill would probably not cause an increased risk of miscarriage, so if you were by some insanely small chance pregnant, I wouldn't trust in the Pill to rid you of that pregnancy!

As for what your GP said about each pill providing protection for 24 hours, the problem is that if you then miss a pill, there's a small chance that your body could trigger ovulation at that point. The reason you'd need backup protection for seven days after missing a pill is that seven days is the maximum, really, that an egg could live without being fertilized. Not all pills have that caveat but if that's what your pill pamphlet says, go by that advice in future, obviously!

But again, I have to reiterate that it's highly, highly unlikely that you could be pregnant after having had a heavy bleed. Obviously you should call your GP to be sure, but from all the research I've done it's a miniscule chance. If you ARE still concerned even about teeny, tiny chances, keep in mind that all protection is fallible--you might want to double up in future with a barrier method (condom, etc.) to set your own mind at ease.

[tryanotherdiet.livejournal.com]

Thankyou, I think I may ask amipregnant as well.

I know NOW that I should have used extra protection for 7 days, but when I got the pills sent to me they didn't have the leaflet, and all I'd remembered was my doctor saying "sex is OK a few hours after taking your first pill"

My Cilest pack comes with 21 pills, then you don't take it for 7 days and have a period.

I think I'll go see my doctor a day or 2 before I'm supposed to finish the pack and ask what she recommends I do.

I somehow feel that having 2 periods in a row with only a day or 2 in between (assuming once I finish the pack I get the one that I'm supposed to get) could confuse my body even more. Plus a 2 week period sounds like too much pain to stand.

It says in the leaflet that if you MISS a pill and you have less than 7 days left of your pack you should just stop taking them and have your 7 free days there. But I had 9 days left of my pack when I missed mine. I wonder could that have made a difference? Should I have stopped and had my 7 free days then because my body thought it was time to start a period?

Thinking about it, I might have started my 7 days on the day I skipped IF I had missed a pill and THEN bleeding started, but the original Thursday spotting came while I was still well within 24 hours of taking my last pill.

[taldragon.livejournal.com]

i dunno, personally i'd follow the packet (and have my week off as originally planned) just so i dont confuse _myself_ but YMMV :)