Questionhi i swapped from microgynon 30 to cerazet due to headaches, however i took the first cerazet straight after my last packet finished but ive been bleeding lightly for the 3 days, when will it stop?
AnswerHello Fiona,
Cerazette is a progestogen-only pill (POP) this means it does not contain estrogen like the regular pill and as such has less side effects (such as headaches, like you mentioned). Because of the lack of estrogen this also means it works in a different way and has to be taken EVERY DAY (365 days a year) at the same time regardless of your period. If you are more than three hours late taking the pill there is the chance that you could become pregnant (hopefully your doctor told you about this).
The fact that you have to take it every day also means that it does not actually control your periods like a normal pill would. As such, many women experience irregular spotting (bleeding). I can't tell you how long until the spotting clears up as each woman is different. However, I can tell you that it usually takes 2 - 3 months for your body to adjust to a new pill so the bleeding will likely stop after this time. I would suggest you wait and see what happens in the next few weeks. However, if you are still bothered by this side effect after a few months then perhaps you will need to ask your doctor for an alternative method of birth control.
Check out this link for a useful factsheet on POP:
http://www.optionsforsexualhealth.org/node/45/
I hope this helps,
Allison Macbeth
(MAppSci, GradCertSexHlth, BA)
