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Withdrawal Bleed

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busylizzie
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Location: England

Withdrawal Bleed

Unread post by busylizzie »

Hello,

Im on the pill and my withdrawal bleed continues for a little bit very lightly for the first day or so of my next pack of pills. Is this ok?

Thank you
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Mo
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Re: Withdrawal Bleed

Unread post by Mo »

Yes, that's fine.
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Amanda
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Re: Withdrawal Bleed

Unread post by Amanda »

Yep! Nothing to worry about. Many hormonal changes, like those induced by birth control pills, are not instantaneous, but happen gradually. Your hormone levels are still rising/transitioning during that first day or two.
"We must not see any person as an abstraction. Instead, we must see in every person a universe with its own secrets, with its own treasures, with its own sources of anguish, and with some measure of triumph." -Elie Wiesel
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busylizzie
not a newbie
Posts: 29
Joined: Mon Mar 02, 2015 8:10 am
Age: 29
Location: England

Re: Withdrawal Bleed

Unread post by busylizzie »

Ok, thanks. So I took my second active pill of my new pack today but i'm still bleeding a fair bit. So this is ok, and I can expect to stop bleeding in the next couple of days? What if this doesn't happen and the bleeding continues? Would I speak to a nurse or should I just put it down to my body adjusting to the hormones. Also, I should add this is the start of my third month taking the pill.
And also one final question, if I do bleed on active pills at any point, does this affect the contraceptive cover that the pill provides?
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Heather
scarleteen founder & director
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Re: Withdrawal Bleed

Unread post by Heather »

It really is okay. We can't say when you can expect your withdrawal bleed to stop, since we are not psychic.

If you find you are having anything more than light spotting after 10 days or so of flow, then that's when it's sound to check in with a healthcare provider, or that after three packs of pills, your body doesn't seem or feel to you like it's adjusting. Otherwise, so long as you are current with your preventative sexual healthcare (STI testing, GYN exams), there is no cause for concern here.

Having breakthrough bleeding, spotting or a withdrawal bleed that continues into the active pills has no impact at all on the effectiveness of the pill.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead
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busylizzie
not a newbie
Posts: 29
Joined: Mon Mar 02, 2015 8:10 am
Age: 29
Location: England

Re: Withdrawal Bleed

Unread post by busylizzie »

Okay, thank you very much for answering :)
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Heather
scarleteen founder & director
Posts: 9732
Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2014 11:43 am
Age: 54
Awesomeness Quotient: I have been a sex educator for over 25 years!
Primary language: english
Pronouns: they/them
Sexual identity: queery-queer-queer
Location: Chicago

Re: Withdrawal Bleed

Unread post by Heather »

You're welcome. :)
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead
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