Sunday, 20 December 2009

  • Birth Control Blunder


    Q. I've been on birth control for 3 years and overall my experience has been very good. It has prevented pregnancy, kept my period regular and I have had very minimal, if none, of the side affects said to come along with the pill.

    My issue is that when I miss a few pills I'll get my period and it WILL NOT GO AWAY!!!! For the past year I have been very diligent with taking my pill on time and everyday, but I screwed it up a bit recently.

    At the moment I've had my period for about a week and I'm a week and a half early. I've been told many times by friends also on the pill that if you keep taking the pill it will go away. BUT IT'S NOT GOING AWAY!!!! This is not just frustrating because I can't have sex with my boyfriend but also because it's uncomfortable to have my period this long. I don't like it for the 3-4 days its supposed to be here so a few extra weeks is not my cup of tea.

    I'm on Aviane which is the generic brand of Alesse. I was on Alesse before and it did this to me so I'm curious as to this is related to this particular brand?  Do I need to switch brands? I've also thought about getting a different type of birth control all together such as the vaginal ring.

    I don't have time to go to the doctor right now. Any suggestions?

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Comments (53)

  • gymbum20@xanga

    You should probably ask a doctor....
  • CrAdLe2daGrAve@xanga

    then you better find time to go see the doctor about that if you have the time to blog about it then i'm sure you have time to see the doctor
  • EmergencySurveys@xanga

    sex on your period is great. a little blood never hurt anyone.
    but you should definitely see a doctor.

  • iTekno@xanga

    i have had the same problem, and my period lasted for a whole month and a half....it was complete hell. my family has a history of that problem...well just the girls in my family. It may have something to do with your uterus. so...most deff check with your doctor.
  • x_lostluck@xanga

    see a doctor, yes. but it does also take a while for the pill to set back to its normal pattern. i've had that happened to me before. ALSO stressing about it won't help any, the stress can cause your period to come early, or not go away - weird as that may be it is true.
  • sunsurfsandy@xanga

    That happened to me when I started birth control but once your body gets re-used to it it should go away, but i would go to a doc anyways
  • whitetrashpoet@xanga

    I take Aviane and actually just this week - went out of town, left my pills at home. Skipped too many to bother starting the pack again, so I'm going to start with the new pack (which my insurance won't cover until next week, the week I'm supposed to be on my period). Finally done bleeding after a week, but light spotting on and off.

    When you miss more than 1 pill, it throws off your cycle a lot. Really, the only way to prevent it is by not skipping pills, end of story. You'll bleed for a while. It could be normal period length, or it could be a month. When I first started taking birth control pills (OrthoCept) I bled for the first 6 weeks, every day. They throw your body off a lot, and it takes a while to adjust to that...and when you skip a pill or two or three it throws it all off again.

    Btw, don't put off going to the doctor. Not a good plan.
  • anonymous

    That's why I don't take pills...because they screw up your system if you're off just one bit.

    I only took them during unplanned hook ups just as an emergency.
    I've been fine with being abstinent for a long, long, long, long so this is not an issue for me.

    Yeah, you gotta make time for the doc.
  • gatorgirl54@xanga

    @iTekno@xanga - Oh my god a period lasting a month and half?!


    I can't even imagine.. mine are completely gone once it hits the 5th day.
  • black_lie@xanga

    Spotting is supposed to be normal I think?
  • Coffeebee@xanga

    I had this problem, and my doctor told me to keep taking the pill. I had my period for like, a month, at which point I was desperate (and angry at my doctor!). I called a family friend, who's an OB/GYN, and she told me to stop taking the pills right away, let my body finish my period naturally, and then once I stopped bleeding to restart the pills at the beginning of a cycle. I did it and it worked exactly as she said it would (thank goodness!). Continuing to take the pills while you're having your period is just confusing your body.
  • crazedhobbit@xanga

    You really should go to the doctor about that, or at least talk to her over the phone..
  • akatiegirl

    When you're bleeding abnormally, whether period-related, or for some other reason, honey...you go to the doctor!  This isn't anything to be messing with.  BC can be a great thing if you take it correctly, but you're not, and it's messing up your body.

    Make time for the doctor because, really, none of us can help you here.  Not like your doctor can.

    -Katie
  • lobsterrxX@xanga

    I'd get a different brand. I'm currently on Tri cyclen Lo and it works great for me. :D
  • Morningstarrising@xanga

    I really think it IS the Aviane/Alesse.  I've been on it for about 6 months now.  And yep, had the same problem when I stopped taking it for a few days (was taking antibiotics anyhow, so since the BC wasn't going to be effective, may as well not take it).  And I had my period for 23 days.  Ugh.  I talked to the doctor and she said that it was fairly normal if you skip a pill or two.  If it happens when you take the pills normally, then I would worry.  But it sounds like you've just missed a pill or two and you're now facing the consequences.
  • wizard_howl@xanga

    Doctor, doctor. Whenever you can. Just because you should see what's going on and if it's something you should be worrying about.


    Missing a pill only causes spotting at most...but I actually had the same situation once without missing pills. It wouldn't be full-out heavy bleeding like I was used to (comes with the genes, ugh, thanks mom), but I was testing a new pill for a few months and once my body got used to it, I was constantly on my period. It was light, but it was annoying.


    Eventually I just resorted to condoms again. I hate the way my body reacts to things. Once I was off it, I had no problems. The pill affects everyone differently, some people not at all...so it's a good idea to go to the doc to see what might be going on.
  • suggestivetongue@xanga

    From what I recall they are very similar if not almost identical. You should discuss this with your doctor. Your medical history, what you want in a pill, and what the current pill you are taking is doing. They might be able to up the amount of hormones in the pill (or lower it) depending on whatever dose you're getting now and that might help those side effects. 
  • Cest_LaxVie@xanga

    @EmergencySurveys@xanga - Agree. She shouldn't think of it as blood, she should think of it as her body's natural self lubrication xD
  • Cest_LaxVie@xanga

    @Anonymous - Do you mean you took a pill before you hooked up to prevent the pregnancy? Or are you talking about emergency contraception [Plan B]?
  • Cest_LaxVie@xanga

    I'm on Ortho-Cyclen now, and I used to be on the Depo shot before. The shot had its benefits - no period, mostly just very light spotting - and you didn't have to take it every day, only get a shot every three months. For some people it's great, but it boosted my appetite and I gained a lot of weight. After three shots and 9 months, I decided to go on the pill. And my periods are fine. I get them on time, they leave after 3 days.
    As for the doctor...your availability can't be that bad if you have time to blog about it.
    I'd say I have no time to go to a dentist, but not the OB/GYN. With Planned Parenthood [they give free birth control] and other free clinics, it's pretty easy to find one that's open at your convenience.
    The point is, it could be the pill. But it could be that the bleeding is just your body's way of saying something to you. And the sooner you listen to it, instead of complaining about it to a bunch of strangers, the better.

    Good luck.
  • darkangel6541@xanga

    If you have time to have sex, you have time to see a doctor. And if you're bleeding abnormally, see a doctor dammit! It's just common sense... Like someone else said, see an ob/gyn. Or call them.
  • GiantUnicorn@xanga

    I take the depo shot. I only have to go in every three months for one little shot. The first couple months some girls having spotting, I did, but after you hardly ever get your period. My bff went a whole year without having it at all!

    You don't have to remember to take a pill and it doesn't make you depressed.
  • NadoAngel@xanga

    hmm i dont have that problem at all. i've been on the pill for 3 years too but when i miss one or two pills i still get my period when i'm supposed for the normal length. i'm not on that brand of birth control though. i wouldnt say thats normal though. go to your doctor. if it has to do with your health you ALWAYS have time to go to the doctor.
  • EmergencySurveys@xanga

    @Cest_LaxVie@xanga - haha, exactly. :] 
  • ClassyArtist@xanga

    Only problem with birth control I have had started after I had my son. They conned me into getting depo, and Have been bleeding since (I had him the start of October). I looked it up online, and apparently, it's not that rare for a woman to bleed for 8 months because of this stuff :( Blech.

    I'm pretty sure I stopped the postpartum bleeding, and am just waiting for the wonderful day my period finally ends!

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