Before anyone asks, I’ve talked to my doctor. Well, a NP and then my doctor. Who gave me completely opposite advice. I’m hoping tomorrow I can find someone that works for my HMO that actually is an OB/GYN, not a GP, but I’d like some piece of mind or at least comiseration.
Two weeks ago I switched from Desogen which I had been on for about six months due to breast tenderness and its high relative price to Junel. Three days ago I started bleeding. The packet of information that I got said breakthrough bleeding in the first few cycles was normal and that there was no need to contact the doctor unless it was heavy. Yesterday it was heavier than my period has been since I started taking the pill, so I called the doctor. I talked to a NP who said that unless it goes on for more than seven days or is heavy, ie needing to change the pad hourly because it’s saturated, then I shouldn’t worry. My doctor called me today all in a dither, wanting me to come in for a pregnancy test. I tried to tell her that my last period stopped 14 days ago, and I haven’t had sex without a condom since then, but she still wants me to take one. I bought a home pregnancy test, but it says it won’t work unless I’m within 4 days of my missed period. And no one at the clinic can answer any of my questions, as far as I can tell.
Have any of you had breakthrough bleeding? How heavy was it? I’ve also been under horrible stress the past two or three weeks. I’m very good about taking my pill between 11 and 12 every night, without fail.
I’m also tempted to go to planned parenthood instead of to my HMO as at least the people there specialize in this if I don’t get some sort of consistant help about this.
I’d take the pregnancy test just in case, if I were you, because you can get pregnant just before, during or after your period. If you’re not pregnant, no harm done, and if you are, you’ll know ahead of the game.
My mom had breakthrough bleeding so bad that she had to go to the hospital - so if you start bleeding heavily, and I mean REALLY HEAVILY, please get emergency medical service. A period is a period, but a heavy period should be something to worry about if it’s not the norm.
For me, “breakthrough bleeding” has never been more than a little spotting. It usually happens if I forget a pill, or when I change to a new kind of pill.
When my mother got one of those birth control shots, though, it affected the fibroid tumors in her uterus (which we didn’t know she even had in the first place) and she ended up going to the hospital for surgery after 3 weeks of continued heavy bleeding. Nobody seemed to worry about anything until after the two-week mark passed, though, so maybe that sort of thing happens fairly often without bad consequences?
Take the doc’s advice and go in for the pregnancy test. Even if the chances are very slim that you’re pregnant, a test can’t hurt. It’s possible that you’re just barely pregnant and are miscarrying. But please, if you feel worse or the bleeding is very heavy, get to a doctor right away.
Believe me, I’d love to go to the doctor and take care of this, but on Saturday I was told to not worry about it (ie, when I could have gone and done something about it). And my doctor wanted me to take a pregnancy test, but there was never any mention of me actually getting seen. I hate my HMO.
I am going to call on Monday morning, and maybe actually get results.
You’re on the right track - seek out Planned Parenthood as soon as possible (either call or stop in). They deal with only reproductive issues all day long. A NP or your GP are not in that boat.
The only time I ever had real breakthrough bleeding was when I tried to skip a period while I was on the pill. I got my period, just a week later than I was supposed to. It cleared up and I went on with my life. However, I wasn’t too alarmed since it really seemed like a normal period. If you’ve got a heavier flow than your regular period and your doctor’s not paying attention to you, go to Planned Parenthood ASAP.
I had breakthrough bleeding while on the shot (Depo-provera) also. It lasted on and off, light-ish spotting for the whole 3 years I was on it. Usually lasted a few weeks and then went away for a few weeks. I was already taking a multivitamin with iron and my GP didn’t seem at all worried. However, Depo is much more reliable than the pill because there’s less chance of human error, so there wasn’t much chance that I was pregnant.
I also had a friend get the hormonal IUD Mirena and started spotting 3 weeks out of 4. They put her on Yasmin (a low-dose pill) for a few months in addition to the IUD and she’s been fine for a year now.