Uncalled for Spotting

[Jellowl]

I've been on BC for nearly a year now and haven't had this problem before. I am about 5 days away from my period yet I just had a huge spotting incident that I didn't expect. Sure, I felt cramps but I didn't think I was spotting at that moment (ruined a nice pair of undies ). I did have the normal breakthrough bleeding the first three months but then it stopped the following months.

I take my pill everynight on time, so why the random spotting? Is this something to be worried about?

[Sam W]

Hi Jellowl,

Unexpected spotting, while annoying, is a common side effect of the pill and is generally not cause for concern (unexplained bleeding can be a sign of an STI, but if you're up to date on your STI testing then you can rule that out as an option).

[Jellowl]

It seems that the spotting has turned into my period yet I'm still on the active pills. I did just move to a new school and I did have to adjust my sleep scheduale drastically (like waking up at 5am instead of 9am). Is it possible my messed up sleep and stress caused my period to start early on the pill?

[Mo]

It's not always possible to know why spotting, or an early withdrawal bleed, happen on the pill. It could be that your schedule adjustmenthad a part in this, but we really can't know. As Sam said above, though, it isn't a sign of a problem; just something that can happen sometimes.

[Jellowl]

Ah, alrighty. Thank you very much for the responses. Puts my mind at ease
Periods are such fickle things; so confusing sometimes!