Starting pills...still bleeding

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-06-2004
Starting pills...still bleeding
1
Mon, 09-18-2006 - 12:37am
Ok I was supposed to start Ortho tri lo today, sunday, but my doctor asked me if I'd still be bleeding by today, and i said no. So she told me to start sunday....but here we are and I'm still bleeding (day 8 of my period...still regulating from the Plan B pill) and I can't call her and ask because it's Sunday and (doi) they're closed. So now that Sunday is over and I haven't taken my first pill, have i completley messed up and I have to wait till next month? Or can I start next sunday when I know for sure I won't be bleeding?? Can I move the little pack over so my start day is a Monday from now on? I'm wondering also, if my body is still getting off the emergency con. pill and I'm having a super long period, will taking a BCP regulate it a little and make me stop? OMG I'm totally over thinking everything!!! I"m going to bed!!! Any opinions on Ortho Tri Lo would be good too since this is my first BCP (if you haven't gathered that from the frantic scatter-brained questions I've thrown at you guys here)
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-18-2006
Mon, 09-18-2006 - 1:06am

I know your situation might be a little bit different because you were on Plan B, but generally, it is totally fine (if not common) to start your pill if you are still bleeding, although I understand your reservations per your discussion with your doctor. I imagine you should be fine to start the pill tomorrow, and change your start day to Monday...but since it is not within 7 days of your period, it may offset your hormonal cycle a bit (although it seems like your cycle is off from the Plan B anyway, so this probably would have little effect). If I were you, I would call my doctor in the morning and get his/her opinion. You'll want to wait at least 7 days before having unprotected sex, because the pill won't completely protect you for that first week.

To your other question: your body may still be getting off the EC, because it is a very large dose of hormones... so they may still be in your system, and screwing a bit with your body. It may take a little while, but once you are on your pill for a few months (even if your body hadn't been effected by EC, it might still take a few months to get used to it), your body should adjust to the hormones in the pill, the EC will be out of your system, and your cycle will likely be regular.

I took Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo a few years ago, and unfortunately it didn't work out well for me. I had a less severe reaction to it than other pills, but it made me sleepy (which did wear off after a month or so), and while on it I cried all the time. I'm an emotional person anyway, but it was really ridiculous. I would feel like cranberry juice and we'd be out of it, so I'd sit at the kitchen table and cry for an hour... which is why I went off it. I'm not trying to scare you at all... and I am hypersensitive anyway. I am on a pill now that doesn't do this to me, and every person is different. Also my best friend and two other close friends are on it and they LOVE it (it's very widely prescribed, at least in my area). None of them has had any side effects whatsoever (and they had all been on it since before I even tried it), and were really surprised with how I reacted. Which is why you should not go by my experience. Hopefully other people will post on their side effects and opinions so you can have a good idea of what to expect.

Good luck with everything! I hope your doctor doesn't make you wait a whole month before going on the pill!