BCP Bleeding & Cramps

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-05-2004
BCP Bleeding & Cramps
4
Wed, 05-19-2004 - 5:12pm
I have horrible cramps and just started having a sexual relationship with my boyfriend. I have never used the pill before and last Sunday was the first day of my period, and I started the pills. I took the pills correctly at the same time every day, and by day 4 when my period should have ended, I was still bleeding (enough to need a tampon). So I kept taking it, thinking it was the pill and my body adjusting, but it never got better. Each day when I took the pill, I would get nausiated (sp) and then have cramps and bleeding. So on day 8 I gave up and stopped taking the pill and I got ANOTHER period. So now I have been bleeding for 11 days. I am calling my gyno to change the pills, but my question is, we had sex on Sunday, when I was still on the pill does you cycle just start over on the day you start? So I will ovulate 14 days after I stopped taking it and have another period in 28 days? Or will my cycle just be messed up?
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Wed, 05-19-2004 - 9:25pm
Hi Reachnup, welcome!

Irregular bleeding is quite common when starting the pill and if you stop mid pack, as you did, you will have withdrawal bleeding which might continue for quite some time. If I read your message correctly you had been taking your pills for a week when you had sex. If you had been taking them correctly you should have been protected on Sunday. Under the circumstances the bleeding you are experiencing seems to be following typical patterns.

The standard 28 day cycle is an average and may or may not be representative of what you have experienced with your cycles. Your cycle starts on the first day of free flowing red blood. Coming off hormones you may ovulate during your first cycle or you might not. There is no way to tell when that will have occurred (unless you are charting your temperature) until you get your period. Then you will know that you ovulated approximately 2 weeks prior to your period starting. You can not count on ovulating 14 days after your period begins. Your cycle will probably be messed up until your body begins cycling on your natural hormones. I hope you can find an effective means of contraception that works well for you.

Good luck

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-05-2004
Thu, 05-20-2004 - 4:43pm
I spoke with a nurse yesterday. She is prescibing me a new brand. Hopefully this will work better. I am not sure that I want to go through 3 months of bleeding and cramps to see if it works or not. If it does not settle down after the first cycle I will quit again. I just can't handle the pain. I will have to rely on other methods of protection, which we use anyway. I wanted the pill for a second type of birth control and to ease the cramps. I surely don't want to have cramps for a month. Ugh! They don't tell you this when you are the Dr. office or when you read about it. Right now the negatives outweigh the positives.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-05-2004
Thu, 05-20-2004 - 7:38pm
I picked up the prescription today. It is levlen. I am going to look and see what the difference is in the pill. Hopefully this will work better.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-05-2004
Tue, 06-22-2004 - 2:45pm
I started the pill Levlen 28 on Sunday and I am not having any problems this time. Yeah! I can't have the continuous period. Hopefully things will work out great this time. I even don't seem to have the swollen boobs, or feeling sick to my stomach when I took the pill. Everything seems great!