Understanding Irregular Bleeding After Birth Control Discontinuation

Question
QUESTION: So I have been on BC Demulin for about 8 years now. On March 14th I stopped taking the pill. My boyfriend and I had unprotected sex everyday from about March 30th to approx April 9th. On about April 4/5th to about the 7th I was getting heavy spotting (bright red) and cramps. however the spotting would come and go..i would wipe and see blood or a few times the pad would be saturated so I used a tampon, but nothing was ever on the tampons, as the spotting was vary sporadic (as was the cramps)....do you think I could be pregnant??? (PS im not sure if this would have any effect but the first two weeks in March I was on some heavy antibiotics which may or may not have altered my cycle??) Also since I have been on the pill for so long Im not totally sure what a "normal" cycle for me would be as I normally only bleed a very small amount thats light pink and only requires pantiliners for a day or two. Im really confused and I know its too early for EPT. I would really appreciate your thoughts,
Thanks,
Sincerely,
Liz
ANSWER: Dear Liz,

It really is very difficult to know for sure what's going on at this point. First, you are right that this would be too early for a HPT to be accurate. Second, this is your very first cycle coming off the BCP, so it can take your body a few cycles to really get itself regulated again. If you were irregular prior to starting the BCP, you are likely to return to that pattern again after discontinuing use. It also tends to make a difference when in your cycle you quit taking the BCP. If you didn't finish out the pack of pills and have a normal period at the conclusion of your pill use, it would have affected your levels of hormones which trigger ovulation and bleeding.

Unfortunately, you may have to be patient and wait to see what happens during the course of the next 3-4 weeks. If you begin to have symptoms of early pregnancy (nausea, swollen/tender breasts, fatigue/tiredness, headache, backache) and/or it reaches a point you believe you would be 5-7 days late for a period, then test for pregnancy. Make sure you use 1st morning urine to get a concentrated sample for the most accurate results.

I hope this information has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well.

Brenda

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QUESTION: Thanks for your reply....I stopped taking the pills about 15 days into the pack. Would this increase/decrease the chances of pregnancy based on the dates I provided??

I appreciate your time,
LIZ
ANSWER: Dear Liz,

Because you stopped taking the BCP in the middle of the cycle, it really is impossible to know when you would have ovulated.

If you had a normal period 15 days before stopping the BCP, your body likely wouldn't have had much lining to shed, and therefore the drop in hormones would not have triggered bleeding. Now, you MAY have ovulated 14-15 days after that or your body may have not known exactly what to do and you may not have - especially with your history of irregular cycles.

Again, patience will be the key here. Keep trying and don't assume you have or have not conceived. If you haven't already, eventually you will hit it on the right day!  :-)  Pay attention to your cervical mucus - when it becomes more abundant and wet and stringy (like an egg whites consistency), that is a good indicator that you are about to ovulate and fertile.

Hope that helps!

Brenda

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QUESTION: Hello Brenda,
Sorry to bother you again, but I had one more question. If on April 19-20 I started to bleed where I needed a tampon, and did a test on the 20th and it said negative would this be considered a pretty sure thing that I have not conceived? I have not had sex since about April 9th.
Thanks for your time and replies,
Sincerely
Liz

Answer
Dear Liz,

Like I said, with your history of irregular periods and just coming off the BCP, this is a difficult assessment. But based on that information, I would assume that you had not conceived.

You'll have to give yourself a couple of months to see how your cycles regulate to know what is a normal period for you.

Hope that helps - Be well!

Brenda