cramping on birth control

[steph]

So I have been taking birth control for over 3 years now and eveything’s been cool. However, my cousin passed away in february & my mind was else where so i wasn't really in the mood to call and get a refill on my prescription for next month, so I kind of just stopped taking them when I was on my last week which are the placebo pills around february 4th and got my period a day or two later. After that, I didn’t go get my pills until about 2-3 weeks later which was last weekend. I finally started on my new pack on Monday Feb. 26th and have been experiencing cramping ever since, everyday. It’s been light cramping during the day & gets just a little intense at night, but not that bad because I sleep fine, sometimes I just use a heating pad to manage with the cramps. I would just like to know if the cramps are common or normal & nothing to be worried about? Thanks.

[Heather]

Any other weird stuff besides this? And how severe are the cramps?

Too, if you have been sexually active, especially if you’re not also using condoms, are you current with your STI screenings and other sexual healthcare?

[steph]

No, the cramping. At first I thought if it could be because of my period because i started taking the pills last monday and im suppose to get my period either tomorrow or tuesday. I did have sex on tuesday but we used a condom, and either way the cramping started that monday i took the first pill.
the cramps aren’t that bad, they’re a bit moderate, and yes I was just tested a couple months ago.

[Sam W]

Got it, sometimes unexplained cramping can indicate an STI so knowing your status helps eliminate some causes. If the cramping has been going on for a week, then it would be sound to check in with a healthcare provider to see what could be causing it and if there's a way to get it to stop.