This article has been written in response to the following Question (asked by a visitor)
I missed my birth control pill three days in a row around my ovulation date (according to my calculations). I resumed my pill schedule but I experienced bleeding for 5 days in a row. My period was two weeks away when the bleeding started. My nurse said I needed to make sure to take my pills and that the bleeding was possibly a reaction from my body as a result of the pill schedule interruption. I then had an odorless brown discharge for about three days. This discharge did not look like dry blood, it was very different to the spotting you get at the beginning or end of a period. Is this something I should be worried about?
The simple answer to the above question is;
The bleeding started as a result of pill schedule interruption that is missing birth control pills in a row has caused the bleeding.
Now we should try to know and learn that why has this happened?.
Before puberty, the uterus is very small. It starts to grow in size after puberty. A question arises, why uterus growth starts only after the onset of puberty. It is because at the onset of puberty the pituitary gland starts to secrete Hormones which affects the growth of uterus and ovaries.
Pituitary Gland is a hormone-secreting structure present in the brain.
Hormones are chemicals substances which affect the growth of organs and control many functions, they may increase or decrease the growth of a structure (e.g uterus, Breasts) or they may increase or decrease the functional ability of an organ.
At the onset of puberty, the pituitary hormones stimulate the ovary, and ovary starts to secrete estrogens (a type of hormone).
Estrogens have various effects on the body, but here, we will discuss the effects of estrogens on the uterus only.
Estrogens increase the blood flow and thickness of the uterine wall.
most of the contraceptives contain estrogens. (estradiol, estriol etc)
High levels of estrogens in blood don’t allow the pituitary gland of the brain to secrete LH (luteinizing hormone)
LH is responsible for ovulation.
By using contraceptives high levels of estrogens are maintained in the blood and hence, ovulation doesn’t occur.
Now we know that Estrogens are responsible for thickness and hyperemia (increased blood flow) of the uterus.
If the estrogen level in the blood falls, then the uterine wall which requires estrogens or progesterone to maintain its thickness starts to shrink.
During this shrinkage or atrophy, the new blood vessels which have been formed under the influence of estrogens also undergo destruction which results in bleeding.
And the vaginal blood flow is thicker and different in color due to the mixture of blood and destructed uterine wall debris.
In the above case (the question), the women abruptly stopped taking contraceptives. The blood level of the estrogen fell down. and destruction of uterine wall occurred which resulted in bleeding. (because the wall of the uterus becomes unable to maintain thickness without the help of estrogens.) This was a cause of missed birth control pill.
Read also:
Author:
Dr. Adil Ramzan.
MBBS. Physician
Medical Education Home Page
So if you missed a few days, will it increase the chance of getting pregnant?
ReplyDeleteyes it may increase the chance of getting pregnant
Deleteyes it may
ReplyDeleteI missed three pills and I am now experiencing the breakthru bleeding. How long does the bleeding last? And next week I am suppose to start the spacer pills, do I take them or not?
ReplyDeleteok, what was the expected date of your onset of menses. ? Bleeding will remain for 3 days at least. ( max 7 days )
ReplyDeleteSo what if the exact case happened but she had sex during the missed pills and had breakthrough bleeding. Can she or can she not be pregnant?
ReplyDeleteDuring Bleeding if she had sex the chances of pregnancy are very rare. But if she had sex when there was no bleeding and she stopped taking pills then the chances of getting pregnant are quite high... If schedule of taking birthcontrol pills is intrupted the chances of getting pregnancy becomes higher
ReplyDeleteI missed three birth control pills two this week and one last week. Today I noticed what is considered to be spotting. I have been on my birth control for almost a year now and have had a steady boyfriend. I have let my boyfriend ejaculate inside me almost everytime. When I had my period two weeks ago we had unprotected sex. Could I be pregnant or am I bleeding because I missed so many pills
ReplyDeleteYou are bleeding, i don't think you are pregnant, you might be bleeding irregulary because you are not taking pills regularly, go to doctor if problem persists .. regards
ReplyDeleteOkay i had my period feb21,2012 i started the birth contol pill for about a week and a half stopped the pill had unprotected sex march 9,10,11 but i seemed to have break through bleeding on the 11th after sex,i bleed for 2 days and then had brown discharge for 2days could i be pregnant?
ReplyDeletenot likely.. you don't seem pregnant... did you confirm through pregnancy strip test about your pregnancy status?
ReplyDeleteI missed my pill 3 days in a row because I was on vacation. I had bleeding on day 3 that I forgot to take it so I remembered that I forgot. I missed my period that is supposedly 2 weeks after that missed pill. Now from the time I bleed after missing taking pills, I am 5 weeks delayed but 7 weeks delayed from my last cycle. Would I be pregnant?
ReplyDeleteThose who miss pills experience irregular cycles. you might be experiencing same too. According to my opinion you are less likely to be pregnant. please post your later status here for our information
ReplyDeletei was jus wondering can u get pregnant during break through bleeding that was brought on from a missed birth control pills
ReplyDeleteI was just wondering if you can get pregnant during break thru bleeding that was brought on by missed birth control pills
ReplyDeletei began taking birthcontrol pills around the 29th of July & i missed one this past monday. on tuesday i began bleeding and today it's wednesday. i am afraid that i shouldnt be having it for this long, plus i missed the pill today as well on purpose. what happens after this, is this at all normal??
ReplyDeleteread this.
Deletehttp://www.medicotips.com/2013/05/missed-birth-control-pills-what-to-do.html
I started the pill in June and shortly thereafter got very sick and ended up having to take 4 serious rounds of iv antibiotics...needless to say I wasn't taking my pill on a great schedule but got back on a strict schedule until August when I missed a pill and never made it up. I got my period on the 4th day of the placebo pill but it was only a brown discharge and only lasted a day. Could missing that one day cause me to basically skip a period this time?
ReplyDeleteThe women who are on birth control pills, experience such kind of exceptions commonly. if you miss a birth control pil, take it when ever you remember..
ReplyDeleteI think there is no need to worry,, such exceptions are common in ladies who are using birth control pills. let us know if you want to know more. ?
Hi, i'm on Cilest and missed the first five pills in a row. I did have unprotected sex with my boyfriend. I assumed (stupidly) the first ones wouldn't matter so much but was then told by a friend they're very important ones to take as i would have in total gone 12 days without having any. I did an online ovulation calculator to try and put my mind at rest and turns out i would have been ovulating on a couple of the days i missed. Iv now started bleeding and have pains in my lower back and abdomen. Is this because iv messed my pills up or could i be pregnant?
ReplyDeleteListen carefully. There could be two possibilities. either it is a normal menstural bleeding which indicates that you are not pregnant or it is an implantation bleed which indicate pregnancy. now what is the difference between two bleedings. Implantation bleed is lighter and of shorter duration as compared to normal menstrual bleeding. if your bleeding stops within one or two days then it may indicate implantation bleed and pregnancy if your bleeding continues longer than 3 days then more likely you are not pregnant. go and have a pregnancy test to be more certain.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your help, i think a pregnancy test is too early i have the dates of when this has all happened if it helps -
ReplyDelete1st Sep - first day of last period finished 5th Sep
7th Sep - Was supposed to start taking pill again
Missed 7th,8th,9th,10th & 11th Sep
Have started bleeding and getting cramps 20th Sep
Not due on until 29th/30th Sep
I missed pills for a day and took it on next morning as soon as i remembered. after 3 days i had little blood clot and i m scared why it happened. i think that i missed a pill earlier but forgot to take it another day also. can dis be a reason for this clot? what should i do should i take 2 pills today?
ReplyDeletepls reply soon. and yes i m not the same anoynymous u answered before
ReplyDeleteat 1st anonymous: (please write a name). okay. you must not worry. just remember that if the bleeding continue for 3 days or more then u are no pregnant. if less then there are chances. and don't miss pill again. use a reminder on mobile phone
ReplyDeleteif bleeding has started then take placebo (pills without active drug) and wait the bleeding to stop and then start the new course of pills. yes when you forget a pill take the pill as soon as your remember. if you remember next day. then take two pills. but again. different medicines has different protocols. ask your doctor who has advised you these pills. actually when you forget a pill level of hormones in the blood decrease. which result in bleeding. because these hormones/pills, keep the wall of uterus healthy when the level of these hormones decrease in blood. uterus starts to shrink which result in bleeding. so it is important that you should not miss a pill. and if you forget and a days has passed then take two pills. but again consult your doctor first
ReplyDeleteHi, I am trying to get a better understanding of birth control.
ReplyDeleteI came down with a stomach virus and flu and due to being so sick I didnt take any of my regular daily medications, including my birth control. I was in bed for a few days and realized I missed a total of 3 pills in Week 1.
I am a Sunday Starter so in Week One I missed Thrusday (took it Friday, didnt realize it was Friday- due to being so sick) so my pill pack looked as if I missed Friday, Saturday & Sunday. I had unprotected sex with my husband Friday Night and Sunday.
Monday I started having a couple drops of light pink but took 2 of my birth control pills to catch up and took another 2 on Tuesday and finally caught up Wednesday and the spotting went away.
My question is if you have spotting from a missed pills can you still ovulate and get pregnant? Could I be pregnant now? not due for "breakthrough Period" for one week. How long am I unprotected ?
Hi,i just took my pill for 5days and then i forget to take it for 3days and now im bleeding..is the first day of bleeading and i dont know what to do..should i continue my pills or just wait and after the bleeading start from the bigining with the pill?? pls help! tx ioana
ReplyDeleteHi there, I was due for my period yesterday and it came later in the day very light, today was still very light not like normal bleeding, it is more like tiny spots, took a home pregnacy test and it was negative, I had taken a pill late around my ovulation time which I was unaware of, should it come up in a urine test by now if I was to be pregnant?
ReplyDeleteImplantation bleed which occurs near the time of expected menstrual bleeding. it is lighter and of shorter duration as compared to normal menstrual bleed. if you have history of unprotected sex and missed birth control pills then you may be pregnant. I am not sure but there is a possibility.
ReplyDeleteThankyou for the question.
Okay so I missed my pills two days in a row I noticed everytime I miss it with in 24 hours I bleed but I missed it and I had sex unprotected before I started bleeding could i be pregnant ?
ReplyDeletehow long the bleeding remain?
ReplyDeletewith correct use of pills there a rare possibility of getting pregnant stills remains. but you had sex in safe period, (that is when ovulation is not likely to occur after 2-3 days of having sex) then there are very low chances of having pregnancy.
Hello, So, I have a tricky question. I have two uteri and two cervix. I occasionally have two periods. I started my period oct. 19th. and started taking my new pill pack on oct 24th. I had unprotected sex on the 26th and 28th. I lost my pill pack and have not been taking my pills since the 28th. Immediately on the 29th I began spotting. I had only been taking the pill for 4 days. Do you think that this is implantation or withdrawl bleeding? Does missing your pill make you ovulate immediately?
ReplyDeleteThank you.
I was 5 days late taking my BC pill due to issues with my new prescription when I finally got it I was told to just wait until my next cycle starts...its been an entire month on no BC and no spotting whatsoever is it normal to not spot after missing BC pills? Today is the first ...still no sign of any period ...
ReplyDeleteAt Firt: no implantation bleeding occurs at 7th-9th day of unprotected sex not after 3 days. okay so it is something else. may be withdrawal bleeding. having two uterus doesn't mean that you should have two periods. same blood and hormones reach to both of the uteri. periods depend on hormones not on number of uteri. so you are suffering from irregular periods and birth control pill are helping you to make them regular. don't miss the pills. take them regularly and do monthly visits to a doctor. Thankyou
ReplyDeleteat Second. when women stop taking BC pills or they don't follwo the perescription such women commonly experience irregular periods. wait for some more time until the bleeding occur.if you don't bleed in the next couple of days please visit a doctor.
ReplyDeleteHi im 16 years old and i started on the pill for 3 days then i didnt take it anymore ive had unprotected sex for the past 5 months trying to get pregnant please help me get pregnant.
ReplyDeleteHi, I recently stop taking my pills and I had unprotected sex that same day I experience some breakthrough bleeding can I be pregnant.
ReplyDeleteIt depends on which day of menstrual cycle you have stopped taking pills
ReplyDeleteYou are just 16 year old. this is a very young age to be pregnant. please wait for 2 more years allow your body to prepare itself for bearing the weight of a fetus. then try.
ReplyDeleteHi! Im having a concern that I may be preg but not so,sure. Ive had unprotected sex Dec 20th which I was suppose to start Dec 21st instead I started cramping on the 20thfollowing spotting afterwards. Im.assuming this was my cycle as it ended Dec 23. Ive missed aprx 4 PILLs since then up to now. Im doubling them up. However new years eve I was bleeding with intercourse and afterwards nothing! Im cramping now but I dnt knw if its a resilt of me just taking 2 pillsto catch up. Im also on a medicarion to trat BV which I have 2 nights left..what are ur thoughts?
ReplyDeleteIs anyone going to answer the jan 1st ?
ReplyDeleteok. If that was a period (on 21st) then you had sex in safe period. and chances of pregnancy in safe period are less than 1%. if you miss birth control pill for consecutively 2 or three days you will experience spotting and bleeding. Get full treatment of BV and make sure it has been cured completely by confirmatory lab tests.
ReplyDeleteAny advice for my situation?
DeleteIve been on my birth control pill (loestrin 24 fe ) for 3 months and never forget and take it on time. Last weds & thurs I forgot to take them took my friday pill and had unprotected sex twice sat , which turned out to be my ovulating time according to my My days app. Sat evening I started having heavy bleeding almost like mid period and still have it tonight along with some cramping. What are the chances I could be pregnant? I shouldnt have my period for another week and a half , also I never bleed or spot in between periods ever and they are on time every month like clock work. Help please ?
ReplyDeleteOk, You forgot your weds, and thurs pill. On Friday you should have taken 3 pills instead of one. That's why withdrawal bleeding has started. If you forgot more than three days then wait for the bleeding and start a new pack. anyhow. The bleeding started because you have missed pill and on friday you have taken only one. Read our article about emergency contraception
DeleteIt is very difficult to predict about the occurence of pregnancy once you missed three contraceptive pills. But if bleeding has occurred and it continues for 5-7 days after unprotected sex then the chances are very rare. Tell us after one week about your status.
The bleeding seems to be stopping. Just wondering what my chances are of being pregnant. I have a 5yr old and 7month old both were conceived after a month or two so I guess you can say im fertile. Im going to take a test in a week or so but I hate waiting !! Lol
Delete. There is noting more you can do right now. Emergency contraception is a choice for you such as IUD but you should discuss it with your doctor.
DeleteBut in my personal opinion there are very rare chances of pregnancy in such situation. If your test comes positive that will be interesting for us to know. Please share the result of your test here.
Ok, so its been 10days and monday I started bleeding a little which I thought was an early period, and it last til yesterday. However at each night the bleeding stopped completely then would start again around noon-ish !!! Today ive been having some period like cramps with some sharp little pains here and there and just feeling achy. Im supposed to start my period in a day or two.
Deleteare you on pills or you had stopped after having that first withdrawal bleeding? any how the good news is you are not likely pregnant :)
DeleteIm back on my pills . And ive been having some lower back pain and some intense leg cramps. All night I kept waking up with lower abdomen cramps
DeleteStill having the cramping on and off, keep thinking my period has come but just lots of cm. Took a test and it was neg going to test tomorrow or in two days.
DeleteThanks Stacy for your feedback.
DeleteLike us on facebook and subscribe us by email to be in touch. As we regular post articles on common health issues.
ReplyDeleteMy girl has missed four days of her birthcontrol nd now bleeding and discharging bloodcuts
ReplyDeleteIts withdrawal bleeding. When woman abruptly stop BC pills they withdrawal bleeding occurs.
DeleteI had unprotected sex (pull out method) last Friday and missed 4 days of my bc pills. This Tuesday I started bleeding and I am also experiencing abdominal pain every day. I am still bleeding heavy now. Is there a chance that I can get pregnant? Will I get my regular period next week?
ReplyDeleteFertilzed egg takes 7 days to reach the uterus. a bleeding uterus can't hold the embryo. So there is a very little chance of pregnancy.
DeleteI'm on yasmin for two years. I had bleeding on 11th then started taking the pills for this month from 14th til 19th and missed the rest until 25th due to my work. I had brown discharge on 23th and stopped and had unprotected contact on the 24th. After contact I saw that my discharge was red so I have withdrawal bleeding. My question is will I get pregnant if I had intercourse on the first day of my withdrawal bleeding? I'm also on a 28 cycle. Thank you. Will greatly appreciate your help.
ReplyDeletePregnancy seems unlikely in this case. But if you miss two pills in a row and have an unprotected sex you should take emergency contraception. Keep this in your mind for next time.
DeletePrincess is my name I need to ask a question can I have your email please
ReplyDeletesupport@medicotips.com
DeleteI missed 4 days of pills, got my period early, but have been bleed for over a week, when normally I only bleed 3 to 4 days. It is also much thinner blood, and less often. Is this normal, or should I see my doctor?
ReplyDeleteNormal menstruation period ranges from 3 - 7 days. Every women should see a doc if duration of menses becomes more than 7 days.
Delete