Spotting after sex and the morning after pill

[dinosaur.girl7]

Hi! So, recently after any kind of penetrative sex I've experienced some light spotting. There isn't a large amount of blood (just a tiny bit) but it has a tendency to result in brownish as well as yellowish discharge for at least a day/couple days afterwards. I'm not really sure if this is something to be worried about or not - the discharge doesn't smell BAD necessarily, just kind of sharper/stronger than usual?
There's no pain or anything, which is why I was pretty surprised that there was blood. At first I thought it was just the tail end of my period, but it's been a few weeks now so I don't think it's that.

On a separate note, I had PIV intercourse for the first time today, and was wondering if I should get the morning after pill/plan B. I'm assuming the answer is no, but wanted to check just in case. we used a condom and everything seemed fine before and after, but neither of us really checked that much to make sure it was right/tight enough. we didn't use any other form of birth control.
I'm usually someone who worries too much, so I'm guessing I'm probably fine, but I wanted a second opinion.
(Oh, and if it's relevant, I'm 19)

[Mo]

Are you up to date on your sexual healthcare, including STI screenings? Spotting or bleeding after sex can be related to some kinds of infection. Bleeding can also be related minor abrasions related to sex being too rough, or there not being enough lubricant used, so that's something to think about too, but since you're noticing other discharge issues, I do think checking in with a healthcare provider is a good idea in this case.

As long as you used the condom properly and it did not break or come off, there's no reason to think it wasn't doing its job. The decision about whether to take emergency contraception is entirely up to you but condoms are very effective on their own; there's not a need to take EC when condoms are used correctly. Moving forward, though, you may feel more confident if you brush up on proper condom use, which we go over here: Condom Basics: A User's Manual
Also, we do suggest that anyone who's really set on preventing pregnancy look into using a second form of birth control; we have some info on combined effectiveness rates of various types of birth control (along with links to more info on each one) here: The Buddy System: Effectiveness Rates for Backing Up Your Birth Control With a Second Method If you have any questions about different birth control types that's certainly something we can talk about here, or you could ask your doctor for their thoughts as well.

[dinosaur.girl7]

Thanks so much for the quick response! I'm not up to date, no. I really want to go in for both a regular OBGYN appt and one because I'm now sexually active. Although I know both my sexual history and my partner's and there shouldn't be anything to worry about, I'd still much rather make sure. Right now the problem is getting myself to see a doctor (I'm at college right now, and don't really have a regular doctor here).

I definitely would like to start on the pill, which I've wanted for awhile now anyway due to painful/irregular periods. The problem is my mother is not very supportive of the idea (both of me using what she views as unnecessary medication and of me having sex) so I've had trouble getting anything at home, and I'm still on her insurance. I would get it here, but I'm not sure how without informing her.

[Mo]

Does your college have a student health clinic? That would be a good first place to start; many will work with students to provide low-cost care and birth control. Barring that, you could look for a Planned Parenthood in your area - they'll often have sliding-scale options too. If you can pay for healthcare off insurance, you don't have to involve your mother in the decision process at all and can take care of things while you're at school. How convenient that is will depend on where you are, but it looks like you're in DC, where public transit is decent and you hopefully have some local options.
(edit: I did just see you post in an earlier thread that you're not right in DC, so depending on where you are at the moment getting to a clinic off-campus may be harder, but investigating an on-campus option may still work just fine!)

[dinosaur.girl7]

Awesome, thanks so much! I'll definitely look into the options, both at my campus clinic and at the closest planned parenthood. Thanks again!

[Mo]

You're quite welcome! I hope you can find someplace close by that works for you.