Plan b

[nimrie]

Hello, so here’s some back story. My period ended june 22nd and I took a plan b on the 25th, i did notice through the week i’ve had dark and brownish discharge but this morning the 30th i woke up bleeding heavy! Is this from the plan b pill?? I’m just a bit worried now and I have no clue what could have caused this. Thank you.

[Sam W]

Hi nimrie,

So, emergency contraception can cause cycle irregularity, so that might be what's happening here. That being said, I do want to check; does this bleeding so far look or feel how your periods usually do? And are you and your partner up to date on your STI testing?

[nimrie]

Sort of, it does look a bit and feel a bit how my usual periods would. I’m still not sure though only because I just got off my period this time last week.

[Sam W]

That does suggest that this is cycle irregularity caused by plan b. Part of why I asked about STI testing is that bleeding can be a symptom of certain ones, and since it sounds like unprotected sex occurred, that does introduce the chance of STI transmission. So, for the time being, I would keep an eye on the bleeding to see if it stops after a few days. If you notice it starts being accompanied by symptoms like pain or discomfort, then that would be a sign to check in with a healthcare provider.