Missed Period On Birth Control
Many women often become surprised and even scared due to a missed period while on birth control. Often women will have a late period on birth control and not a missed period.
If six weeks passes and a woman does not have a period or menstrual cycle, its considered a missed period, or amenorrhea. Having missed a period on birth control or not does not always mean a woman is pregnant.
There are many different reasons why a woman might miss her period, including her birth control method or individual menstrual cycle. Other reasons why a woman may miss her period include:
- Types of birth control, including Depo-Provera and the Mirena IUD
- Stress or emotional distress
- Diet or change in diet
- Lack of sleep or rest
- Increased activity
- Normal heavy activity, such as sports, running or dancing
- Medications, including specific forms of antibiotics
- Illnesses such as the flu or a head cold
- Pregnancy
When a woman says her period is late she actually means her ovulation cycle is late, not the menstrual cycle. A late period on birth control can cause some anxiety because of the change from the normal cycle.
Besides preventing pregnancies, birth control is used to regulate a womans monthly cycle, including her menstrual and ovulation days.
However, if youre on birth control and youve made changes in your daily routine either physically or emotionally, it can throw off your cycle and cause a missed period.
Do You Need Special Pills Or Can You Use Ordinary Birth Control Pills To Prevent Having A Period
Although you may continually use the ordinary birth control pills to control menstruation, there are pill regimens that are specifically designed for this purpose. Such pill regimens are used to regulate or prevent bleeding for different periods, such as three months or even a year. To use the ordinary birth control pills to regulate menstruation, you should skip the placebo pills and start the next pack of pills for the period you intend to delay the menstruation. Triggering missed period on pill requires a continued use of the birth control pills. For better results, you should use monophasic pill for this purpose.
Does It Mean Im Pregnant If I Dont Get My Menstrual Period While Im On The Pill
Not usually. At times, you may not get your menstrual period while using birth control pills. This can be normal. If you miss one menstrual period and you have not missed any pills, everything is probably fine. Just start a new pack of pills at the usual time. But if you are concerned, or skip 2 periods in a row, youre still probably fine, but check with your health care provider and get a pregnancy test. If you miss any pills and miss your period, keep taking your pills, but see your health care provider for a pregnancy test.
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Am I Pregnant If I Miss My Period On Birth Control
If you have missed period but have not missed taking any pill and do not exhibit breast tenderness, frequent urination, fatigue, nausea or vomiting, there is very little chance of being pregnant. If you have any of signs above, take a home pregnancy test. If you have missed two periods in row, consult your doctor despite being on the pill regularly without missing any.
Continue taking the pill as long as the result of pregnancy test is negative, otherwise you can risk a chance of being pregnant. You should stop the pill only if advised by the doctor.
If you have missed taking the pill once or more and then you miss your periods, you should take home pregnancy test at the earliest. If the test comes back positive, you should discontinue the pills and consult your doctor about the results.
What Happens When You Stop Taking Birth Control Pills
Taking only the active combination pills. If you stop taking active pills, you may experience a withdrawal bleed, which is similar to your period. Dabney recommends that you allow this to happen once every three to four months. Dabney says some birth control pills have a higher risk of abnormal bleeding than others.
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Do Birth Control Pills Cause Weight Gain
It is a misconception among many ladies today that birth control pills contribute to increased body weight. However, various studies have revealed that this is not actually possible. According to experts, the effects of birth control pills on the body weight are minimal, if any. However, the pills may make the body retain more fluids, hence making you feel as if you are gaining weight. This effect is particularly on the thighs, hips and breasts. The estrogen hormone in these pills can also make the adipose cells larger, but not cause weight gain.
Adjusting To The Pill
Some women may notice minor changes when first starting the pill. These changes are usually greatly improved or go away completely after the first two to three months. Possible changes may include:
- Breast tenderness or fullness
- Nausea – taking pills with food should help call the clinic if vomiting is a problem.
- Spotting – does not mean there is something wrong with you or that the pill is too strong or weak for you
- Very short and light periods – some women will have only a drop of blood or brown smear on a pad, tampon, or underwear. It is normal for some women to miss a period completely or have no bleeding .
- Weight gain/fluid retention – usually not greater than 5 pounds. A healthy diet, less intake of salty foods and regular exercise will help.
- Acne – a few women may have an acne flare-up
- Mood changes – usually mild and temporary
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What Are The Possible Side Effects Of Birth Control Pills
Most teens have no side effects when taking the oral contraceptive pill. However, its possible to have irregular periods, nausea, headaches, or weight change especially during the first few months. Each type of oral contraceptive pill can affect a young woman differently.
If side effects occur, theyre usually mild and go away in the first three to four months of taking the birth control pill. If you do have side effects, talk with your health care provider. If the side effects are uncomfortable or if they dont go away, your health care provider may switch you to a different kind of birth control pill or a different method.
Why Skip Your Period
Research shows that if given the choice, most women would prefer extended menstrual cycles. Many women may have medical reasons for wanting to skip a period including headaches, cramping, painful periods, heavy bleeding, and premenstrual syndrome .
Other women just don’t want the hassle of having a periodperhaps they have a vacation coming up, a honeymoon, a sporting event, or a big project at work. Having the power to skip a period can give you a lot of relief, both physically and emotionally.
The good news is that skipping your period with the pill is easy, safe, and reliable. In fact, most healthcare providers agree that there is no medical need to have a period when you’re on the pill.
While some women are understandably concerned about the safety of skipping periods, research has consistently shown that it is completely safe to do. Moreover, skipping your period doesn’t compromise the effectiveness of your birth control pills.
The truth is, you are not even having a true period when you’re taking the pill anyway. It’s actually called a withdrawal bleed and, since you’re not building up your uterine lining while you’re on birth control, it’s unnecessary.
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What Is Birth Control
Birth control comes in many forms. One of the most common is hormonal birth control pills which use various combinations of estrogen, progesterone, or synthetic hormones to prevent pregnancy. You may take the pill every day, with placebo pills during your period receive a shot or utilize some form of implant.
Many women take birth control as a form of family planning and contraceptive. Others take it as a way to manage other health issues, such as uterine fibroids or hormonal imbalance. While some forms of birth control suppress menstrual periods, many regulate it. On many forms of birth control, you will still have your regular menstrual period. Birth control may even make your period more consistent.
It can be stressful to miss your period, especially when youre taking your birth control consistently. There are several reasons why you might miss your period on birth control, including stress, changes in diet or lifestyle, changes in exercise routine, or the long-term effects of using birth control.
If you miss your period, you should consider taking a pregnancy test and following up with your doctor to determine any underlying causes.
Reasons For A Missed Period After Stopping Birth Control
A missed period after getting off the pill can be expected as your cycle regulates itself again. But how many is too many? Here are a few reasons why you may not be getting your period on the regs quite yet.
Birth control pills are widely touted as the answer to a pesky irregular cycle. Once you start taking them, voilathings even out and you get your period as soon as those placebos start each month. Doctors sometimes prescribe birth control pills as a way to balance hormones and kick-start your body into a more predictable cycle. What’s more, some studies indicate they can actually boost your fertility, partly because they can decrease your odds of fertility-inhibiting conditions like endometriosis.
But while those same studies indicate that normal fertility can return immediately after stopping birth control, what happens when that’s not the case? We asked experts to weigh in on how birth control pills can affect your monthly cycle and explain the reasons why you might miss periods once you stop taking it.
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I Am Having Irregular Bleeding What Does That Mean
If you are on a hormonal contraceptive method such as the pill, ring, patch, Mirena or Implanon it is most likely related to the hormones. If you are late taking a pill or change your schedule you may have bleeding. Keep a calendar of your bleeding days and contact us if it is unusually heavy or persists the next cycle.
If you are not on a hormonal contraceptive method, your cycle may be affected by stress, travel, exercise, dietary changes, weight gain or loss or illness. Chlamydia may also cause light bleeding if you have not been screened and have had unprotected intercourse, chlamydia testing can be done with a urine sample by appointment.
What bleeding changes need to be evaluated by a health care provider? If you have repeated bleeding after intercourse, unusually heavy bleeding, unusually painful cramping with bleeding or irregular bleeding that persists the next cycle, please call to schedule an appointment.
Why Is My Period Late
When taking hormonal birth control pills, your body no longer ovulates, and the lining of your uterus becomes thinner. As a result, your periods often become lighter and less painful, especially when taking birth control on a long-term basis. In some cases, women dont have much of the lining to shed. This can cause periods to stop coming.
Pregnancy is one reason you might skip a period or start later than usual. Excess stress is another reason, as it can impair the function of the hypothalamus, which is the part of your brain that manages the regulation of hormone production. Managing your stress more effectively and finding ways to lessen the stress in your life may help your period to come back and become more regular.
Changes to your eating habits can also impact your period, especially if you have lost weight quickly. If youre underweight, your body may stop ovulating to protect itself. Women with eating disorders are particularly at risk for irregular menstrual cycles or a lack of periods. Excessive exercise may also cause your period to stop coming, especially strenuous training or long-distance events.
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Birth Control Pills: Medical Uses
Posted under Health Guides. Updated 22 June 2020.
- Besides birth control, there are many medical benefits of birth control pills , the Pill, or hormonal pills).
- Before starting birth control pills, talk to your health care provider about side effects, risks and benefits of the Pill.
- Birth control pills can help irregular periods, PCOS, endometriosis, acne, menstrual cramps, and low estrogen conditions.
Adolescent girls and young women are often prescribed birth control pills for irregular or absent menstrual periods, menstrual cramps, acne, PMS, endometriosis, Primary Ovarian Insufficiency and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome . Girls who are diagnosed with PCOS are often prescribed oral contraceptives to lower their hormone levels and regulate their menstrual periods.
Birth control pills contain one or two types of synthetic female hormones, estrogen and/or progestin. Similar hormones are normally made by the ovaries. There are many different types of oral contraceptive pills.
Reasons Your Period Is Late When You Know Youre Not Pregnant
Have you ever had a late or missed period when you are certain you arent pregnant? It may cause you a moment of panic, but a late period is often caused by factors that have nothing to do with reproduction. If you have a late period and you are sure youre not pregnant, one of the following factors may be to blame.
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Taking 2 Packets Of The Combined Pill Back
If you take a combined contraceptive pill, you can delay your period by taking 2 packets back-to-back.
How you do this will depend on which pill you take.
Examples are:
- monophasic 21-day pills, such as Microgynon and Cilest you take a combined pill for 21 days, followed by 7 days without pills, when you have a bleed . To delay your period, start a new packet of pills straight after you finish the last pill and miss out the 7-day break.
- everyday pills, such as Microgynon ED and Lorynon ED you take a combined pill every day. The first 21 pills are active pills and the next 7 pills are inactive or dummy pills, when you have your period. To delay your period, miss out and throw away the dummy pills, and start the active pills in a new packet straight away.
- phasic 21-day pills, such as Binovium, Qlaira and Logynon the mix of hormones in each pill is different, depending on which phase you’re in. You need to take these pills in the correct order to have effective contraception. Ask your pharmacist, community contraception clinic or GP for more information.
Taking your contraceptive pills in the ways described above will not affect how they work as contraceptives.
If you’re not sure which pill you’re on or which pills in the packet to miss out, speak to your pharmacist, community contraception clinic or GP.
Avoid taking more than 2 packs without a break, unless your GP says you can.
There’s a risk you could experience side effects, such as:
- feeling sick