Scarleteen

Hey,
I've been on the combined pill for about a year now and so far so good. Only this week I've been pretty run down with flu symptoms and today I've noticed a slight bleed, first brown then bright red. It's extremely light and only occurred twice. I was wondering if this had anything to do with being run down of not? I'm not really worried about being pregnant, because I never miss a pill, but I am worried the bleeding might effect it's effectiveness?

Thanks

Hi manfamain,

We can't say for certain what the bleeding is. It may be that you're having some spotting (which can happen on the pill) or that your period is starting earlier than usual. Just to check, are you and your partner up to date on your STI testing?

Also, nope, the bleeding doesn't have any impact on or say anything about your pill's effectiveness. If you've been taking your pill every day as directed (and with no disruption like vomiting or diarrhoea soon after taking one), you can assume you have your pill's usual protection.

Thanks for letting me know, that was the only thing that was on my mind yeah we are up to date and everything seems fine, so I don't think that's an issue. Thanks for letting me know