New to birth control pill - advice?

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-27-2004
New to birth control pill - advice?
2
Tue, 04-27-2004 - 1:42pm
Hi there,

I'm new to taking birth control pills (I'm on Alesse), and I've just started the inactive week of pills. What's it generally like the first month in terms of getting your period? I'm a little bit freaked out about whether I did everything right in the beginning and whether I could potentially be pregnant because of it because I haven't started my period yet. Does it usually take a few days on the inactive pills before it starts?

Thanks!

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-03-2003
Tue, 04-27-2004 - 1:54pm
provided that you took your pills correctly, you should be fine. i know for me personally that i usually don't start my period until the 3rd day of inactive pills, and i've even had it not start until the 5th day.

~heather

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2004
Tue, 04-27-2004 - 3:58pm
Yeah, and it depends on your body's hormone production how long it will take. when i first started it took just under 48 hours after my last active pill for my period to start, and it was very regular for a couple years. over time, however, i've drifted further and further from my last active pill, until now it's closer to 64-70 hours after my last active pill when my period arrives. generally you shouldn't start worrying too much about pregnancy until the end of the inactive week. if your period hasn't arrived by then, consider a visit to your healthcare provider or buying a pregnancy test. it can take some women a while to adjust to the new hormones, readjust during the inactive week and start bleeding. it's also a known side effect for some women, especially those with a history of occasional amenorrhea (lack of a period) to skip on the pill. don't stress yet (that may delay your bleeding even longer!), and just be patient for a few more days.


Edited 4/27/2004 3:59 pm ET ET by klannert