Post-Birth Control Period Changes: What to Expect

Question
I stopped my birth control pills (ortho tri cyclen) after 4yrs of usage in the beginning of January. My last period on the pill started Jan. 10.  I was due for a period on Feb 7, but did not start having any type of bleeding until yesterday (2/19). I started getting bloated on 2/2 and it last up until about 2/17or2/18. I have been having very light bleeding for the past two days (basically spotting). The first time my husband and I had sex w/out a condom was on 2/14 and the next 2/17. I took a pregnancy test 2/17 and it was negative. Is there a chance that Im pregnant w/this very light and late period or is it just my body reacting to coming off the pill? I dont really remember how my periods were prior to the pill, just irregular.

Answer
Dear Jennifer,

More than likely this is just an adjustment to your body coming off the BCP, especially if you were irregular before. If the first unprotected sexual encounters were 2/14 and 2/17, then a pregnancy test would not be accurate yet. Pregnancy tests are generally not going to pick up a pregnant hCG level until it has reached at least 25 mIU/ml. In early pregnancy, you'd need to be at least a few weeks after conception (typically 4-5 after LMP) before hCG would reach that level - especially in urine with a home pregnancy test.

If you are trying to conceive, I suggest that you simply keep trying. It may take a little while since your cycles are irregular and difficult to predict when you are ovulating. So, just keep at it - having sex at least 2-3 times per week to start out with should enable you to allow for variations in your ovulation day.

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

Brenda