ortho-tri lo/placebo pills and period?
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ortho-tri lo/placebo pills and period?
| Tue, 05-30-2006 - 8:53pm |
For 3 weeks I've been on Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo. I'm wondering, should I expect to get my period within a day or two of starting my placebo pills? Does it differ with everyone?

Hi curlychick200, welcome!
Jill
Here's the thing: in the past 2 months, I tried twice to officially "start" the pill. Both times, I started pills on first AF day, per doc and pack instructions.
Each time I had per. for THREE WEEKS. After this second go-round, doc said to abandon pills for time being and start again once AF was over. I think I allowed for maybe a 7-day gap.
And whadya know :( Got AF today with 1 active pill left to take. Sigh. Who knows how screwed my cycle is now. I can only hope there's enough hormone now in my body to regulate cycle. Pregnancy not an issue--use condoms--but pain, cramping--a major ordeal and biggest reason for going back on pill.
It usually takes about 3 cycles of taking your pills correctly for your body to adjust to the hormones and during that time irregular bleeding is a very common side effect. If you stop and start your pills in other than the normal 3 weeks of actives, a week of placebos followed immediately by another 3 weeks of hormones etc. your body may take much longer to adjust.
Jill
Thx again Jill. I've left a msg for my gyn to just get her ok on this--she wanted me to take the pill continuously, but it doesn't really make sense until I've got a sense of how my body will respond to it.
Maybe this is for a new topic, but do you think it might be b/c I'm in my early 30s now as well? I first went on the pill at age 18, and had scarcely any S/E at all. Now it seems like my body's all cranky and unaccustomed to new things. :/
>>she wanted me to take the pill continuously<<
Jill
Hi Jill,
Sorry I wasn't clear on that. Because I have some pain issues, the original idea of my going on pill was to take the hormones continuously--without the weeklong placebo pills.
Ideally I'd love to skip periods (who wouldn't?!) :) But if this isn't possible--as this is a triphasic--I would be grateful even for a lighter per. with less pain and some regularity. The older I get the more nightmarish all my 'AF' symptoms are (severe bloating, doubled over in pain, etc.)
P.S. My doc just called and confirmed: take all 28 pills. Don't skip anything. :)
>>I have some pain issues, the original idea of my going on pill was to take the hormones continuously--without the weeklong placebo pills. ... if this isn't possible--as this is a triphasic--I would be grateful even for a lighter per. with less pain and some regularity.<<
Jill