Pill side effect

[ZannahGirl1]

Hi there!
I posted here a week or so back about a pregnancy scare I was having concerning ejaculate sliding from my stomach to my genital area. With the help of you guys I quickly determined that I did not have a risk and that I should not be worried. However, over the past couple of days I have been having a fair amount of breast soreness. I am on my first pack of birth control pills (I took them for a while last year and then quit) and the nurse at my doctor's office said that I may experience symptoms that I don't normally have. However, I almost always have some breast soreness before my period, so this wouldn't be unusual if I were expecting a true period. It's making me worry about pregnancy again--I'm sure needlessly--and I just wanted to find out if this is all being caused by the pill.
Thank you!

[Johanna]

What you are describing sounds like a common side-effect of first starting birth control. You may experience these symptoms during the first three months or so of taking the pill.

[ZannahGirl1]

So it's normal that I'm having this soreness even though I often have it with my period?

[Eddie C]

When it comes to bodies is really hard to say what is "normal" and what is not. Seriously, people are all different and they react different. Even the same person can have different reactions from time to time. So, yes, the soreness might be a side effect or it might not. But if it makes you feel too uncomfortable checking in with a healthcare provider in person is always an option.

[ZannahGirl1]

So I was having some breakthrough bleeding of a brownish color, and I called my healthcare provider, who said it was normal. It was tapering off but today I had a big rush of red blood that looked a lot like my period, but I'm still on the active pills. Is there any way this could be pregnancy related?

[Eddie C]

Is not that uncommon for breakthrough bleedings to appear while someone is still on their active pills. And more to the point, pregnant people do not bleed. But by all means if you are worried about pregnancy taking a test is the best way to rule out the possibility.

(…and just as a little piece of extra information: dark/brownish discharge only means old blood leaving the body.)

[ZannahGirl1]

Oh, okay! I was mostly alarmed by the color difference, but it makes sense that I wouldn't have any bleeding at all if I were pregnant. I've been having brownish/red breakthrough bleeding for a couple of weeks into my first pack, and I had a pregnancy scare a couple hours before I took my 7th pill, so of course every little side effect I'm having from the pill I am associating with pregnancy. I actually did purchase a test for exactly this reason, and the 14 days I have to wait to take it are up tomorrow! I'll probably take it just for the reassurance but I feel much better! Thank you!