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WHat Causes Vaginal Spotting And Cramps After Taking Contraceptive Pill?

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Posted on Thu, 3 Jul 2014
Question: Took 1 contraceptive the same day I had sex forget to take the next day and took 2 the other day. Got my period on the normal day which is the 3rd of XXXXXXX now its 9 days and I am having very light spotting and very very light camps.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Cori Baill (21 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
I will try to answer the question I think you're asking.

Detailed Answer:
It is not unusual to see spotting or unscheduled bleeding especially in the first few months of oral contraceptive pill use. It is even more common if you've missed a pill here and there during the course of the month. It's estimated that most women missed 1-3 pills per cycle. The problem is with lower dose contraceptives now on the market that can mean for contracts or contraceptive action of the pill and a higher likelihood of conception.
You may want to set a reminder to help you take the till approximately the same time every day. Or you may want to consider a longer acting contraceptive like the ring which only needs to be changed monthly. In addition if you use a shorter hormone free interval between packs or between rings you may have better cycle control and better suppression of the ovaries to prevent pregnancy. There's no reason you need to use an entire week of placebo pills or wait an entire week before beginning a new ring. Many women take the ring out on the first and put in a new one on the third or fourth. Many don't have any cycle at all or very light cycle in that way. This does not decrease the effectiveness at all.
If you have any concerns about pregnancy because of the number of pills missed in your last pack, you could consider a urine pregnancy test which is highly sensitive and should be accurate within 10 days of possible conception.
The next time you miss more than one pill in the cycle you may want to consider emergency contraception is added insurance.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Cori Baill (13 minutes later)
Is it normal to have the spotting.. I had my period on the 3rd which is the normal due date for my period. Then on tuesday it stop a little and now its thursday and I am see very light spotting.should I be worried
doctor
Answered by Dr. Cori Baill (6 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Yes, I think spotting can be completely normal.

Detailed Answer:
it does not sound like you have anything to worry about. If however you have any other symptoms like breast tenderness or feeling lightheaded and bloated, you might want to consider doing a pregnancy test just to be sure. The spotting is completely normal when you missed some pills in the previous cycle.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Cori Baill (3 minutes later)
What I ment is I have been seeing regular bleeding from last Tuesday the 3rd, stong cramps on friday stop a little this tuesday the 10th snd now having light spotting since then. Could this be from the contraceptive. Woke up this morning and I am still seeing spotting tjis is day 10 how long can this last for..
doctor
Answered by Dr. Cori Baill (9 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Yes.

Detailed Answer:
Because modern contraception's are so low dose, missing pills disrupts the cycle and produces unscheduled bleeding. The longer you take your pills as directed the more likely it is it everything will settle down and be normal in the future.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Cori Baill (21 hours later)
Still seeing blood this morning in the toilet bright red, more than the other day Is that still normal? I am slso very faint cramp like period cramps. Wanted to do the pregnancy test but because of the blood I am thinking the test will not work. This is day 11 and I am getting worried thinking I have cancer. .I am very stress should I still do the test
doctor
Answered by Dr. Cori Baill (17 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Blood will not interfere with the pregnancy test.

Detailed Answer:
You can do a pregnancy test. Bleeding will not interfere with the test results. I think the results will be negative and I hope you will find that reassuring.
You do not have cancer. Tomorrow you need to call your gynecologist for guidance. In this situation I commmonly advise patients to take two pills a day for three days and then drop back down to one a day. This usually will resolve the breakthrough bleeding that that was stirred up by the missed pills in the previous cycle.
This type of bleeding pattern is not what one sees secondary to cancer. Please do not be overly concerned. If the bleeding does not clear up despite a negative pregnancy test and doubling up for a few days then it is time to get some blood work done and testing for STI. An under functioning thyroid or some type of mild infection is a much more common explanation.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Cori Baill (2 hours later)
I am using Minigynon contraceptive. .. with the procedure you said I should start,do I need a new pack of pill or start from the one I started before which is missing 3 from the start
doctor
Answered by Dr. Cori Baill (7 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Try twice a day for three days

Detailed Answer:
It is fine to take it twice a day for three days. When you get to the placebo week take them for only three days then start a new pack. You may have only light bleeding or no bleeding it all but that should set things right. You may find in the future that if you shorten the placebo week to only three days that you will have less symptoms during that hormone free week and that you also have better cycle control. The abnormal bleeding has nothing to do with effectiveness. If you're taking a pill every day and only missed one pill in the pack, the contraceptive effectiveness is the same whether or not you had unscheduled bleeding. some women have new pleadings at all during the shortened hormone free interval if they use it consistently. Many find that to be an advantage.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Cori Baill (2 hours later)
I guess i did not ask the question correctly. .ok..I have the old pack of pill in my draw with 3 missing which cause this problem in the first place, do I continue from it with the two pill that you suggested which is going to make 5 pill missing from it or do I need to purchase a new pack and start the 2 from that. did the test and it show negative and also the blood has gone down to very very light spotting, I think because I am not so worried..thank you for your advice.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Cori Baill (29 hours later)
Brief Answer:
i'm not sure exactly how to answer this

Detailed Answer:
I think you should pick up some extra packs at the pharmacy. I think that you should take at least 21 consecutive days of pills but shorten the hormone free interval. another way to do that is to substitute two or three extra pills at the end of the cycle Since you're not bleeding now you can skip doing the double up for three days in the bro unless you've already done it. I think this is going to resolve on its own either way. I'm just trying to avoid the problem in the future. there are two ways that you can address shortening the hormone free interval. One would be to use this pillpack you have in your drawer and substitute three active pills for three of the placebo pills at the end of your cycle therefore extending your cycle 24 days and having only four placebo days. Or you could simply begin a new pillpack after only three or four placebo days. This should improve cycle control and make it more difficult for you to experience breakthrough bleeding in the future. Either method is fine neither method of fax contraceptive benefit. and of course the third option is to simply take your pills and the 21 seven formulation and not miss any. Because you're in your 40s I worry a little about symptoms like hot flashes and sleep disturbance creeping into that full blank week. You can also discuss this with your gynecologist. There are commercially available pills packaged the way I described.
Note: Revert back with your gynae reports to get a clear medical analysis by our expert Gynecologic Oncologist. Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Cori Baill

OBGYN

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WHat Causes Vaginal Spotting And Cramps After Taking Contraceptive Pill?

Brief Answer: I will try to answer the question I think you're asking. Detailed Answer: It is not unusual to see spotting or unscheduled bleeding especially in the first few months of oral contraceptive pill use. It is even more common if you've missed a pill here and there during the course of the month. It's estimated that most women missed 1-3 pills per cycle. The problem is with lower dose contraceptives now on the market that can mean for contracts or contraceptive action of the pill and a higher likelihood of conception. You may want to set a reminder to help you take the till approximately the same time every day. Or you may want to consider a longer acting contraceptive like the ring which only needs to be changed monthly. In addition if you use a shorter hormone free interval between packs or between rings you may have better cycle control and better suppression of the ovaries to prevent pregnancy. There's no reason you need to use an entire week of placebo pills or wait an entire week before beginning a new ring. Many women take the ring out on the first and put in a new one on the third or fourth. Many don't have any cycle at all or very light cycle in that way. This does not decrease the effectiveness at all. If you have any concerns about pregnancy because of the number of pills missed in your last pack, you could consider a urine pregnancy test which is highly sensitive and should be accurate within 10 days of possible conception. The next time you miss more than one pill in the cycle you may want to consider emergency contraception is added insurance.