Early Period

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-12-2004
Early Period
4
Wed, 10-13-2004 - 10:26am
I'm on Ortho Cyclen (the pill that has a constant amount of hormones), but I was just switched to it two months ago. Sunday, I started my period. It wasn't due until Tuesday. I've taken full strength hormones before, when I was on LoEstrin. No matter what pill I was on my period always started the last Tuesday in the pack. Now it's here over a week early..and it's so HEAVY. I haven't had a period this heavy on the pill ever. It even hurts worse than usual. There's a constant ache where usually there's just mild cramps.

Of course, I can't get anybody at the clinic on the phone..I'm just wondering, what the heck is going on here? Will I have a two week period?? Is this going to throw my whole schedule off whack? Help!
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
In reply to: fadedxglow
Wed, 10-13-2004 - 1:09pm
Hi fadedxglow, welcome!

Every pill can be different for every woman. It's impossible to say what your body will decide to do. Some women have their pill periods on week 3 of their actives on some pills. It can take 3 or 4 cycles for your body to adjust to the hormones in your new pill and to see how well you do on Ortho Cyclen. If I were you I'd give yourself at least another 2 cycles to see of a pattern emerges, but telling your doc what's going on never hurts. Thanks for posting. Let us know how you're doing, ok?

Good luck,

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-12-2004
In reply to: fadedxglow
Fri, 10-22-2004 - 7:53pm
Ok, now it's day 12 and I'm still bleeding. It's kind of starting to freak me out. I'm tired all the time and feel like dirt. I can't get anyone at the clinic to answer and I don't know what to do. Can this hurt me?
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
In reply to: fadedxglow
Sat, 10-23-2004 - 10:08am
Ortho Cyclen is a very different pill from Loestrin--the progestin potency is a lot lower, which can cause heavier crampier periods than what you're used to. If you are soaking through a tampon or pad in a half an hour, that's considered heavy enough to get checked out immediately, but if it's more like a tampon every couple of hours, that's more like a heavy pill period.

As to whether it can hurt you, make sure you're eating well (good nutritious food), drinking plenty of water, and taking a multivitamin. Bleeding can reduce your iron stores, which can make you tired, but most multivitamins have enough iron to help with that.

Is your period still heavy or is it kind of tapering off like a period normally would toward the end of the inactive week? Do you still have the cramping? I think if it were showing no signs of stopping, I might try to find another source of help if you can't get anybody to respond at your clinic. Is there another clinic you can call? Any other physicians on your list? What some folks refer to as doc-in-a-box? (the walk-in clinics that don't require appointments, sometimes called urgent care, but not as expensive as the emergency room)

It's possible that this is all due to Ortho Cycle being so different from Loestrin, I have taken both and I had much heavier periods on Ortho Cyclen than Loestrin! If you took Loestrin successfully last time, would you think about going back on it? You might just need a higher progestin content than what you're getting.

Good luck, I hope things get better and fast!

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control 
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-12-2004
In reply to: fadedxglow
Sat, 10-23-2004 - 7:03pm
Well, I think it's ending now. It was like all of a sudden..there was hardly any blood at all. Like I went from what my regular period was like, to the last day. So, I think I'm doing ok now. Is there anywhere that I can go to find a place around me that might be more reliable than Planned Parenthood? The one here is so hard to get in contact with, and they don't even have an option to leave a message for a doctor or nurse. I know of another clinic I can go to, I just have to have PP fax my records over to them. Thanks for your help, it was just very weird that all of a sudden I was doing all this bleeding and it tapered off a little and then started all over again..kind of freaked me out you know? I think I'm going to find a multi vitamin to take all the time just in case this happens again.

Thanks again all of you!

Amy