Unusual spotting, pregnant??

[username111]

I’ve been taking the Levest oral birth control pill continuously without period breaks for approximately 8 months now. I’m usually very good with taking them on time daily but my nurse said not to worry too much about missing the occasional one due to being on it so long already.

About two weeks ago I forgot to take my pill 3 days in a row due to working away and not having my packet, but caught up when I was back. About 3 days later my parter and I had unprotected sex (bad I know). I’ve now been experiencing light spotting since last night where it was only visible when wiping however now i have to wear a panty liner just to be safe.

I’ve never experienced spotting on this pill before so have done some research and am freaking myself out with what I’m finding! Some have said it’s normal after being on the pill for this long but the timings would make this coincide with implantation bleeding if I were to be pregnant.

Would the days i missed the pill have opened me up to the chance of me getting pregnant despite being on the pill and covered for so long? Or am I being naive to think like that?

[Sam W]

Hi username111,

We can't say for certain what's causing the spotting. But what we can say is that, even if you made them up, missing three pills in a row poses a risk of lowering the level of protection you had from the pill. Since you're outside of the window in which you can take emergency contraception, what I'd suggest is reading this article and following the next steps it advises:
The Pregnancy Panic Companion. Was there a reason you weren't able to bring your pills with you while you were away?

Since it sounds like you know going without a condom was not a sound choice for you, can I ask why you and your partner chose to do it? And are the two of you up to date on your STI testing?

[username111]

I just completely forgot to take my pills with me, it’s my own fault. Same with the condom, we hadn’t seen each other in a while and didn’t have any to hand, not an excuse I know. I’m up to date on the testing and he’s told me he is too.

[Sam W]

Hey, sometimes we space out on things, it happens. At this point, the best thing to do would be to take a pregnancy test, since that will give you your answer. Do you know how to get a hold of one? Too, it might also help for you and he to talk about ways of making sure you always have at least a few condoms at hand to help avoid this kind of stress in the future.

[username111]

I have one around the house somewhere I know, in the process of moving so just trying to remember what box its in! Going on holiday with my dad next week which adds to the panic, not sure he'd be happy going away with a pregnant teenage daughter thank you for your help

[Sam W]

You're welcome. If you end up wanting support around the test results (be they positive or negative), please know you're more than welcome to ask us for it and we'll do our best to help you out.