Fell ill while on birth control. What should i do?

[Feathers]

Hi everyone! I am new to this forum, hopefully someone can help me out. I just started birth control after the end of my last menstrual period. I am into the 3rd week of the first pack, when i fell ill for about 4 days with vomitting and diarrhea. I did not miss any pills but i think my body did not absorb the pills well enough. When i recovered, i started to spot, then ended up having a mini period. Today is the 6th day and i am still bleeding. I am still eating the pills at the same time everyday .

Question is, should i finish the pack or start over a new one? And if i were to continue with the current pack, do i skip the placebo pills and continue to the new pack once the active pills are finished?

I know it would be best to ask my doctor who prescribed me the pills, but he is a guy and is a general practioner. I believe ladies using the pill on long term would be able to advise me better. Thank you!

[Sam W]

Hi Feathers,

I would check the directions for your specific pill to see if they include information on what to do in this situation. You could also try calling the pharmacist who gives you the pills and asking for their opinion. My instinct is to say that you should continue with this pack and not skip your placebo week.

Too, if you plan on being sexually active, backing up with condoms should keep you covered in the event that the effectiveness of the pill has been decreased.

[Heather]

Just FYI, I don't see any cause for concern here unless you've had intercourse without a backup method in this pack of pills. By the time you're on the next pack, what happened in this one won't have an impact.

Like Sam said, calling your prescribing healthcare provider is your best bet, but until you can talk to them, and unless they advise differently, I'd suggest you just keep taking your pills and use a backup method for this pack, which we're always a fan of anyway -- period -- when that backup method is condoms, since the pill offers no STI protection, and that's as big a deal as pregnancy prevention is.