Prolonged Bleeding on Birth Control: What to Expect & When to Worry

Question
I started the pill for the first time, 16 days ago. I took the first pill on the first day I came on my period. However, I havn't yet stopped bleeding and am unsure what to do! My periods have always been heavy and normally last about 9 days, but am worried 16 days is very long! please help! thankyou

Answer
Hi Alison,
I think you keep bleeding because you've had some extra buildup of the uterine lining over time associated with the heavy periods.  The pill will take care of it over time.  Probably the bleeding will stop after your next period is over (maybe before).  If you wanted to, you could stop the pills tomorrow, wait one week, then restart a new pack on the next Sunday.  This would allow the lining to clean off with the period that would come, and the bleeding would probably stop or mostly stop after starting the new pack.  It's more of a nuisance than anything to worry about.  If you do stop early, you'd need to use a backup method of birth control until you restart the new pack.  Best wishes.