birth control questions (part two)

[lycheefan]

ok i'm starting birth control this week and honestly im pretty excited for some reason but i was kind of curious about withdrawal bleeds and what they are. any information about what should be expected would be awesome too, articles are appreciated ^^ thank you

[Emily N]

Hey lycheefan! I'm glad to hear you are excited!

Many types of birth control can lead to withdrawal bleeds, including the pill, vaginal rings, and IUDs. For the pill, for example, the last week of the pack are placebo pills and don’t contain hormones. As a response to the drop in hormone levels, your body will shed some mucus and blood.

Your body’s response to the withdrawal bleed may be very similar to that of menstruation, including cramps, bloating, and, of course, bleeding. The difference, though, is that when you are on birth control, the lining of the uterus doesn’t thicken and isn’t shed like occurs during menstruation.

This Healthline article goes into a bit more detail if you’re curious!

[lycheefan]

awesome! thank you so much another question, i know that i should always try to take it at the same day each time, but would taking it an hour later/earlier make a difference? if not, what time would have an effect? thank you

[Emily N]

Are you taking a combination pill or progestin only? According to this Planned Parenthood article, if it's the combination pill, the pill is still effective regardless of whether you take it consistently at the same time of day. For progestin only pills, it's recommended to take the pill within the same 3-hour window.

Regardless, Scarleteen recommends taking the pill around the same time everyday for a few other reasons. Here is an excerpt from the article "Birth Control Bingo: The Combination Pill":
"To use the combination pill properly, you need to take one pill every day, ideally around the same time of day every day. It's also important to take your pills in order with most brands (monophasic types are an exception). If you don't take it at exactly the same time -- but still take it on the day you're supposed to -- that won't make your pills ineffective: it's just a safer bet to take it around the same time to keep you in the habit to reduce the risk of you spacing out a pill on any given day. As well, with a medication like the pill that's all about rewiring a very specific process in your body that changes daily, taking it as close to the same time each day as you can helps to be sure your hormonal levels are as regulated as possible. If you want to be as close as you can to a perfect-use effectiveness rate, you'll want to try and take your pills within the same three-hour window each day.

With combined pills, you have a 12-hour grace period before a pill is late, and a 24-hour period before you are considered to have missed a pill. So, if you normally take your pill at 3:00 PM, and one day took it at 6:30, no need for worries."

[lycheefan]

im taking the combination pill ) yet another question haha. so it said side effects should go away after 3 ish months, but when could they start appearing? a week in, or even earlier? thank you

[Emily N]

You could experience some side effects within the first few days (like nausea - but this should get better quickly!) Other side effects might not show up for a week or a few weeks.