Cycle is all messed up!

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-12-2004
Cycle is all messed up!
4
Tue, 04-11-2006 - 9:40am

I've been back on Ortho tri cyclen for about a year. The past 3 months, I've really messed with my pill cycles. The first month I tried to skip my period and take 2 packs in a row, which worked for about a week, then I started spotting. I spotted almost every day during the last 2 weeks of the 2nd pack of pills. So I stopped taking them for about 5 days. Wouldn't you know, my period stopped during that time!

So anyway, I started a new pack after the 5 days, and spotted the first week, then it finally went away for the last 2 weeks. Then I stopped for 5 days. Period came on the 4th day, and then on the 5th day, I started taking a new pack. Now I'm in the 2nd week of my 4th pack and I'm spotting again but more like a period and with bloating and cramps. The spotting starts in the morning, I take my pill in the morning, and by afternoon it's almost gone.

So now that I've totally screwed up my cycle, how do I get back on track???

Kate

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-28-2005
Tue, 04-11-2006 - 11:11am

Unfortunately, Ortho Tricyclen is often difficult to use to skip or delay periods because it is a triphasal pill. The best pills for skipping periods with are the monophasic ones, where each pill contains the same amount of hormones.

That said, to get your period back on track - you need to take the pills as prescribed. That means when you start a pack, you take all of the pills all the way through and start a new pack after the last inactive pill is gone. If you continue to do strange things like randomly take 5 days off - it will continue to throw your body out of whack. I'm sorry to say it - but you really just have to get back on schedule and ride out any spotting that may occur. If you continue to spot for a couple of weeks - don't stop taking the pills! You should be back to normal within a month or so. Now, if you're still spotting mid cycle after you take a full pack as prescribed, you might want to see your doctor for additional advice.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-11-2006
Tue, 04-11-2006 - 11:11am
The same thing is actually happening to me right now, and I'm on Ortho Tri-cyclen lo! In February, my period came a week early, so I skipped the reminder pills so I wouldn't run the risk of having my period two weeks in a row. Well, it worked for a few days and then came back, but only lasted for a few days. To try and get myself back on schedule, I skipped the next month too, but ended up really screwing with my cycle. I've probably bled for about 3 weeks total in the past two months, if not more, so I started worrying. I called Planned Parenthood and asked what was up, and the lady said I'm "going through changes" because I'm 18. But, I decided to make an appointment today anyway to discuss different pill options. I asked a female coworker of mine if she had any experience with it, and said the same thing had actually happened to her about 3 times when she was younger, and that it isn't the right birth control for me. She said they have to put me on a different dosage because my body is storing the blood and it's slowly coming out, which explains why the spotting will last for days, but only certain times during the day, or disappear for a day or so. I would recommend you make an appointment with your gyno and try a different kind of birth control, because this situation sounds exactly like what I'm going through. I'll let you know what happens at my appointment to give you more information.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Tue, 04-11-2006 - 12:51pm

Hi kwhere, welcome!

I agree with bleugoddess. Not all women can skip their periods, but in our FAQs, in the post about taking your pills correctly, there is a section about how to skip your period on triphasic pills like OTC so that you stand the best chance of skipping successfully.

If you take 2 packs of a triphasic pill (one that has three different and increasing levels of hormones) like OTC without a break for your period the drop in hormone levels between weeks 3 and 1 is often seen by your body as its signal to bleed so I think that is what has been going on. You should stick to your pill schedule taking all 21 active pills on time and then taking your placebo week for your period which should reset your cycle. It may be that you have confused your body to the point that it will have to readjust over several cycles just as though you were starting on the pill for the first time.

It wasn’t clear to me if you had been taking all 21 active pills in a row before stopping for 5 days. If you don’t take all 21 active pills before taking a few hormone free days you may be setting yourself up for an unintended pregnancy because BCPs are tested for effectiveness using a 21/7 day regimen and anything else is uncharted territory.

In addition to the post about taking your pills correctly you might also want to read the posts in the FAQs about common pill side effects and irregular bleeding. Give your doctor a call and let him or her know what's going on and see what s/he recommends.

Thanks for stopping by. Please ask if you have more questions. Let us know how you're doing, ok?

Good luck,

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Tue, 04-11-2006 - 1:44pm

Hi lilheylady, welcome!

How long have you been on OTC-Lo? If it has been less than 4 cycles your body may still be adjusting to the hormones in your pills. If you have been on the same pill for 4 or more cycles and you are having mid cycle bleeding then you have given it a good try and it's time to ask your doctor about a pill change. Taking your pills at irregular times can also cause mid-cycle bleeding so if you haven't been pretty consistent about taking your pills on time that might be what caused your initial bleeding.

Trying to skip on a triphasic pill (one that has three different and increasing levels of hormones) like OTC-Lo by taking the packs in their normal weekly order 1-2-3, 1-2-3 very often doesn't work because your body sees the drop in hormones between weeks 3 and 1 as it's signal to bleed.

You aren’t really ‘storing blood’. The estrogen in your pills causes the lining of your uterus, the endometrium, to grow. As long as your body has adjusted to the hormones and the hormone levels remain the same or increase during your cycle the endometrium continues to grow for the 21 days of active pills. The progestin in your pill is what keeps the endometrium stable. As long as there is enough progestin to stabilize the endometrium the blood vessels won’t leak and you won’t bleed. If the mix of hormones isn’t right for you too much endometrium can grow for the amount of progestin in your pill to keep it stable and you will bleed. Or, if you take your pills at irregular intervals your body may see the dip in progestin as its signal to begin shedding your endometrium. And, if you take 2 packs of OTC-Lo back to back with no hormone free interval between then the drop in progestin levels between weeks 3 and 1 will often trigger the shedding of your uterine lining.

For information about how to take OTC-Lo so that you stand the best chance of successfully skipping your period read the post in our FAQs about taking your pills correctly. You might also want to read the posts about common pill side effects and irregular bleeding.

Thanks for posting. If you have more questions, please ask. Ley us know how you’re doing, ok?

Good luck,

      Jill