2 weeks on Cyclen and spotting

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2003
2 weeks on Cyclen and spotting
4
Wed, 05-05-2004 - 6:14pm
I've been on Cyclen for the last 16 days. I've taken this pill before, about 2-3 years ago, and I never had any problems with it. It worked very well for me. But on Monday I started spotting. It was a bit of brownish discharge, and I've been spotting ever since then. At first it was just a small amount, but now it's enough to wear a tampon, and it's been mostly a brownish colour, with a little bit of fresher, red blood now and then. Monday was also the start of ovulation...could this spotting have something to do with that? At what point would you call it breakthrough bleeding as opposed to spotting?

I'm quite disappointed that I'm having this, because I'm assuming that it means this pill is not strong enough for me and I'll need to take one with a higher dose of estrogen. My Dr. does not agree with me being on the pill right now, anyway, because I'm being treated for hypertension and she says the pill is contraindicated for people with high blood pressure. I'm going to be seeing a gynecologist in the near future, because a couple months ago I had an abnormal period that I was concerned about. The pill is my preferred method of birth control, but I'll ask the gynecologist what I should be taking.

Another concern I have is that my DBF and I have already started having sex without the condom. It would have been in my first 2 weeks on the pill, and I started taking the pill on the first day of my period. Is it possible that this spotting could indicate a pregnancy? I think it's unlikely, but then again, I could be in denial lol!

I'd appreciate any input, thanks a lot ~Sabrina
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Wed, 05-05-2004 - 8:47pm
Hi Sabrina, welcome to the board!

Our bodies change so because you had no problems with a particular pill in the past doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t when you begin again 3 years later. It usually takes 3 cycles or so for your body to become accustomed to the hormones from your pills. Irregular bleeding is a very common side effect during this time. If after 3 or 4 cycles on Cyclen you are still experiencing irregular bleeding then it probably isn’t the pill for you. The primary method of contraception in combined oral contraceptives is the suppression of ovulation, and secondarily the thickening of cervical mucus and affecting the endometrium to reduce the likelihood of implantation. If you have been taking your pills correctly, it is very unlikely that you ovulated. This board and many doctors recommend using back-up for the entire first pack of pills as you are learning to take them correctly and because your period may not appear at the time and be of the consistency you experienced while cycling naturally. If that’s the case then if you are using back-up it minimizes pregnancy freak-out.

If you began your pills on the first day of your period then you should have been protected immediately. I think it is very unlikely that the bleeding you are experiencing is anything but your body adjusting to the hormones in your pills.

If I were you I would rethink using hormonal contraception against you doctor’s advice. There may be other very effective means of contraception that you can use that won’t be harmful to your health, such as an IUD. Let us know how you’re doing, ok?

Hugs

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2003
Wed, 05-05-2004 - 10:03pm
Thanks a lot, Jill. That really eased my mind. I know that I should reconsider the kind of birth control I use, and that is what I am going to discuss with the gynecologist. I certainly do not want to risk my health right now, since I'm doing a lot to become a healthier individual. I've lost 60 pounds in the last 9 month or so, and I'm taking measures to control my blood pressure. One reason I don't want to take my Dr's advice is because I don't have a lot of respect for her. She is not even my Dr. anymore because she left the clinic, and I'm stuck without a Dr. It's really hard here to get a family Dr, let alone a GOOD one! I don't appreciate the way that she just wanted to get me in and out of there, and medicate me, like that would take away the problems I was having. I'm a nurse, so I ask WHY things are happening in my body...and I don't agree that more and more medication is necessarily the answer.

It is important for me to be on birth control right now, because I'm in a serious, committed relationship and I don't want to have to use condoms anymore. My DBF is actually really paranoid about me getting pregnant, partly because in the past he's gotten a girlfriend pregnant when they weren't ready to have a baby. They had a miscarriage, but it was still traumatic for him, in a way. He definately wants to have babies, but not until the right time.

I do have another question though. Is it just a coincidence that I started spotting right when I was supposed to ovulate? In the past when I was trying to find the right pill for me, I had to take a couple before I found one that I didn't spot with, and at the time they had told me that the fact that I'm spotting means the pill is not working as effectively as it should...and if that is the case, is it not possible I could get pregnant if we're not using condoms? How likely would pregancy be in this situation, if I'm taking the pill exactly as I should? I just like to have all the facts!

~Sabrina
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Thu, 05-06-2004 - 12:22am
Hi Sabrina,

Endometrium control and ovulation control are two separate functions so irregular bleeding rarely has anything to do with ovulation while you are on OCs. I would say it’s only a coincidence. There is no 100% effective method of contraception except abstinence. However, if you are taking your pills correctly you should be well protected against pregnancy. If you would like to check to see that you aren’t ovulating you could chart your basal body temperature and watch for an ovulation spike. Several members have done that when starting new methods, just for peace of mind. If you aren’t familiar with charting your temperature a very good book that covers that and much more is Toni Weschler’s Taking Charge of Your Fertility. Hang in there!

Hugs

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 05-06-2004 - 8:17am
Another thing you might bear in mind...estrogen can sometimes make blood pressure increase, and more estrogen doesn't necessarily take care of spotting, particularly if it's late-cycle spotting.

Spotting after the second week of pills can often be attributed to either too much estrogen or not enough progestin. There are a good number of pills that can aid you in that regard, but with respect to your blood pressure, some women (myself included) have been able to lower their blood pressure with a lower estrogen pill, or at least not have their blood pressure affected. Since Ortho Cyclen has 35mcg of estrogen, you've got lots of options.

As far as blood pressure goes, you might ask your physician if s/he would be more comfortable with you on 15 or 20mcg of estrogen instead of 35--options there are Nuvaring at 15mcg, the patch, Alesse, Mircette, and Loestrin 1/20 at 20mcg. (I just realized you might be Canadian--the ring is not available in Canada, and the pills might have different names!) The good news is any of these might help with late cycle bleeding if it continues past the first couple of months.

And Jill is right--a good reliable pill-taker shouldn't be ovulating at all, that's the primary function of the pill. Ovulation is relatively easy to control, it's that uterus that complicates things--bleeding is much harder to keep under control than ovulation! So if you've been good with your pills, you should be in good shape.

Congratulations on improving your health! Let us know how things go?

Judie

Judie Cl for Birth Control