Spotting/birth control

[resplendentposy.livejournal.com]

I’ve been having spotting about mid-way through my cycle for the past 4-5 months. I only noticed it minimally at first, but this past time it’s been consistent for at least 2 weeks and then I started straight into my regular period. I haven’t noticed any change in my normal period, I’ve just been bleeding in between. It’s usually light reddish-brown, and occasionally bright red. I’ve only been noticing it when I wipe, though there were two occasions when I noticed it on my underwear after physical activity. I went to the doctor a few days ago, and she wasn’t sure what was causing it. I had blood work done, and my hormone levels were normal. She prescribed me birth control to see if that might clear things up, suggesting I try it for 2-3 months and then go off it and see if it helped. I haven’t ever had sex, btw, although my boyfriend and I have fooled around with oral and fingering. I was wondering if that might have caused the bleeding.

I am kind of worried about starting on birth control, because if my hormone levels are normal, I don’t want to screw things up. The doctor didn’t really explain about it or tell me what kind it was. I probably should have asked her more about it. I’ve heard for some people that birth control can cause side effects and make things worse, and others find that it helps. She said to schedule a physical for sometime in the next 2-3 months where I would get a pap smear since I haven’t yet had one. I’m thinking about scheduling it for the soonest I can with the doctor I had been seeing before and seeing what the results are and what she thinks before starting on birth control. In any case, I think I need to get more information first. Maybe I will call the pharmacy or go to pick it up and find out what kind it is, and either ask them about it or look it up online.

Comments

[cork118.livejournal.com]

It seems odd to me that your doctor would prescribe hormonal BC without first conducting a routine pelvic exam with Pap smear. Mine refused point blank to give me anything until I was checked out first. Like you, I was going on it for regulation purposes, not to prevent pregnancy. She's the doc, I suppose, but still.

It's also strange to me that she'd advise you to take it for 2-3 months and then quit. If anything, I'd think that would mess up your hormone levels and cause more between-period spotting.

I'd agree with your plan to get more info first, btw. It's always a good idea to understand your medications as much as you can, and BC is no different. Good on you for being hesitant to take something that you don't know about! Since it sounds like you have a lot of questions, it might be a good idea to schedule that pelvic exam before taking BC. If you let the secretary or nurse know that you have a ton of questions they can schedule a slightly longer appointment so the doctor won't feel too rushed to talk to you.

When I first started fooling around when I was 16-17, I'd often notice some blood in my panties afterwards. It was never a ton, but there would be a slight pinkish tinge on my panties and when I'd wipe. It went away eventually. Beyond that, I'd say that depending on your age, it's pretty normal to have spotting between cycles as long as it's light, you're not experiencing a lot of pain/discomfort, and your regular periods haven't changed.