Scarleteen

I've been on birth control pills (Tri-cyclen) for 7 months. I always hear that birth control pills make your periods shorter and lighter but I don't really find that to be the case with me. I've never had extremely heavy periods when I wasn't on birth control. My periods while on birth control still last about a week but they're only heavy for 1 day and then regular for about 2-3 days and then it gets light. I occasionally have spotting in the middle of my pack (it not red blood, I may get just a couple small dots of pinkish blood). I read that the pills thins your lining which can cause light periods. I'm a perfect pill user. Is it normal for pills to not make your periods light? Would my pills still be protecting me 99.7% ?

Hi Fadedpassion,

Every body will react a little differently to the pill. So, for some people it will make their periods lighter, but for you it sounds like they don't. That doesn't mean your pill isn't working, and as long as you've been taking it correctly and consistently, you can assume you're protected (most people won't reach the truly "perfect" level, because that can really only be achieved in a lab, but you can get pretty close and still be well protected).

Okay thank you.
Is it normal to spot when I'm still on my active pills? This is my 7th month on the pills and I usually always get a very very small amount of spotting around day 19 of my active pills. It's just a small amount of pinkish blood mixed in with my discharge, it's not enough for me to wear a pad and I usually don't even need a liner. Is this something I should be concerned about?

Spotting is one of the most common side effects with any hormonal method of contraception.

However, if it bothers you, talk to your prescribing physician about it. Some brands or formulations are known to create that side effect less, so if you like, you may be able to switch to another type of pill where that is less frequent.

It doesn't bother me at all. The spotting is so minimal that I don't really even need a liner. I was just more concerned on the effectiveness. I want to make sure that even if I continue to spot that I'm still totally protected. When I suggested to my doctor about possibly switching to a pill with 1 consistent dose she said to just still stay on this one because it took me forever to find a pill that actually agreed with me (and didn't give me crazy side effects lol). My gynecologist said that it would be a problem if I was spotting on the low version (Tri-cyclen Lo) and that it wouldn't be as effective. But she didn't seem too concerned about me being on the regular Tri-cyclen. I don't understand why that would make a difference? I just want to know that I'm fully protected if i stay on this pill.

Experiencing side effects doesn't indicate anything about your pill's effectiveness, to the best of my knowledge. As Sam said, if you take your pill correctly and consistently, you can assume it's working. If your gynecologist has indicated otherwise, then that's something to ask her about.

Okay. I don't know I can never seem to get an answer out of them. My regular doctor and gynecologist didn't seem to concerned. They just kept saying "well it's good that you're not on the low dose". I didn't think it mattered what dose you were on.

All doses are equally effective, and there really isn't that much of a difference between a "low-dose" pill and one that isn't low-dose. These days, pretty much all pills are "low-dose" compared to the dosages that were used when the pill was first developed. (For what it's worth, when they say it's good you're not on a low dose, they may mean that you would be more likely to have side effects on a lower dose - in other words, a lower dose for you would not be as effective at preventing side effects, not that it would be less effective at preventing pregnancy.)

It's a bummer that your regular doctor and your gyn aren't terribly clear in their answers: if this is an ongoing issue, is it possible for you to find another doctor to see?

Hmmm I wonder if that's what they meant, about the side effects. I've always read that with low dose it's more common for some things to make them a bit less effective, for example if you have very loose stools soon after taking the pill I read that it can make a low dose pill a bit less effective compared to a more "regular" dose pill. I don't know entirely how true it is but that's what I've read. Maybe she just meant "less effective" as in I would get more side effects like you said. I asked her straight up if this continues should I switch pills and she said I don't have to. I just didn't know if there was like a different rule if spotting on triphasic pills would decrease effectiveness?
The only logical reason I could think of why I'm spotting is the change in hormones each week. I know when you first start a new pill it can cause spotting so maybe my body is thinking it's a new pill each week, I don't know if that made sense lol.

I'm contemplating switching doctors. She's good but she's very rushed all the time which is annoying. The only thing I like is that she knows my medical history.

Hey FadedPassion,

A doctor being rushed all the time is a total bummer. I resonate! If you decide to switch doctors, remember that your medical files will be passed over, so your new doctor will have a general understanding of your medical history. You can also jot down some notes of your own to share with them in your first meeting.