Is my birth control working?

[Flower2]

I have been on the Progestrone only pill for almost 2 and a half months now and I’ve had a prolonged period. During this time, me and my long term boyfriend had sex without a condom almost two weeks ago, he did not ejaculate inside of me, however I’m unsure as to whether there was any pre-ejaculate (chances are there was). I’m now worried about my chances of pregnancy from the pre-ejaculate even though I take my pill perfectly - never late and never missed one. Would I be able to get pregnant from the pre-ejaculate even though I take my pill perfectly? And if I was able to, Would I even be able to tell I was pregnant due to my prolonged period? I’m just really stressed, I may have had a period since this, however as my previous period from a few weeks ago hasn’t died down I cannot tell.

[Heather]

Before I say anything else, are you saying you have had ongoing vaginal bleeding for several weeks now? If so, menstrual periods don't last that long (there really isn't such a thing as a prolonged period), so this bleeding is because of something else. That something else could be something like a wonky reaction to starting the minipill (but in that case, we'd still expect spotting, not full-on flow), but it could also be something like a sexually transmitted infection, endometriosis or something else.

So, I want to make sure that you have been seen about this by a healthcare provider (assuming you have, in fact, been having menstrual-level flow for weeks). If not, I would suggest you do that ASAP. You can also obviously talk with them about these concerns when you are there if you'd like.

[Flower2]

Before I say anything else, are you saying you have had ongoing vaginal bleeding for several weeks now? If so, menstrual periods don't last that long (there really isn't such a thing as a prolonged period), so this bleeding is because of something else. That something else could be something like a wonky reaction to starting the minipill (but in that case, we'd still expect spotting, not full-on flow), but it could also be something like a sexually transmitted infection, endometriosis or something else.

So, I want to make sure that you have been seen about this by a healthcare provider (assuming you have, in fact, been having menstrual-level flow for weeks). If not, I would suggest you do that ASAP. You can also obviously talk with them about these concerns when you are there if you'd like.

Before I say anything else, are you saying you have had ongoing vaginal bleeding for several weeks now? If so, menstrual periods don't last that long (there really isn't such a thing as a prolonged period), so this bleeding is because of something else. That something else could be something like a wonky reaction to starting the minipill (but in that case, we'd still expect spotting, not full-on flow), but it could also be something like a sexually transmitted infection, endometriosis or something else.

So, I want to make sure that you have been seen about this by a healthcare provider (assuming you have, in fact, been having menstrual-level flow for weeks). If not, I would suggest you do that ASAP. You can also obviously talk with them about these concerns when you are there if you'd like.

The bleeding hasn’t been as heavy as a period however it has required the use of ay least one sanitary towel a day.

[Heather]

Okay. So, sounds like what we're talking about here is spotting, not a period or anything like a period. So long as you're up to date with your STI screenings and basic sexual healthcare and nothing else is up, it's safe to assume that's probably a side effect of your minipill. It's a common one with progesterone-only methods.

Since this isn't like a period, you should know if you ever miss a period pretty easily. But you also always have the option of testing for pregnancy if and when you're concerned, and if you want more protection than your pill alone can give you (and any STI protection, as your pill offers none), you can also always back up with condoms.

By all means, as no one method is 100% effective, pregnancy is always possible with any method. How likely or possible depends on how effective a method that is and how well it's being used (yours is around 99% effective in a year of perfect use/91% in a year of typical use). If you want to get as close to 100% as possible, you can either back up with a second method, switch to an even more effective method (the implant is also progestin-only, for instance, and 99% effective in typical use, not just perfect), or both.

[Flower2]

Okay. So, sounds like what we're talking about here is spotting, not a period or anything like a period. So long as you're up to date with your STI screenings and basic sexual healthcare and nothing else is up, it's safe to assume that's probably a side effect of your minipill. It's a common one with progesterone-only methods.

Since this isn't like a period, you should know if you ever miss a period pretty easily. But you also always have the option of testing for pregnancy if and when you're concerned, and if you want more protection than your pill alone can give you (and any STI protection, as your pill offers none), you can also always back up with condoms.

By all means, as no one method is 100% effective, pregnancy is always possible with any method. How likely or possible depends on how effective a method that is and how well it's being used (yours is around 99% effective in a year of perfect use/91% in a year of typical use). If you want to get as close to 100% as possible, you can either back up with a second method, switch to an even more effective method (the implant is also progestin-only, for instance, and 99% effective in typical use, not just perfect), or both.

I actually got my period yesterday after replying funnily enough! I also had a doctor confirm that my bleeding in between periods is just a side effect of my pill, like you said. So the chances are that it is unlikely to get pregnant the way I mentioned?

[Sam W]

I'm glad you were able to talk with a healthcare provider. Your other question is something we cannot answer due to this policy: Pregnancy Fear and Anxiety Policy

If you have other questions about birth control or other aspects of sex and relationships, we're happy to answer those.