rampant paranoia...

[twirlingvixen.livejournal.com]

I started Nora-BE progesterone-only birth control pills February 16th (the first day of my period).

Had unprotected sex about 48 hours later, and have had it approx. 3 times a week since.

According to my normal cycle, which was always pretty regular, my period was due March 15th. I started spotting March 11th, and it quickly turned into a full-blown period, which lasted until March 19th. After it ended, about a week passed by and I had two days of very light spotting.

There have been a few days since--maybe once or twice a week--where I have taken the pill late. By late, I mean more than an hour later than my normal time. A few times I was more than 3 hours late. My period was "due" (obviously my normal cycle is compromised by the birth control) Monday or Tuesday. Since it was early last month, I'm very worried that it hasn't come yet. I haven't had any spotting or cramping, my breasts are very sore (they were sore for a week or two when I started the POP, but haven't been since), and I have all sorts of probably-completely-in-my-head pregnancy symptoms.

My questions for you all. . . Am I justified in being worried? I know my body is probably still adjusting to the pill, and there is a possibility that POPs can cause the cessation of periods altogether. Is it too early to take a pregnancy test? I'm assuming that taking the pill has thrown off my normal cycle, and IF I ovulated it could have been anytime in this cycle. And, finally, what would happen if I stopped taking it for a few days, and abstained from sex/used back-up for a week or so? I'm concerned that if I am pregnant, consistently taking the pill would harm the baby. If I stopped taking it for a few days, and I'm not pregnant, would this induce my period to come? Or would that just be withdrawal bleeding? Or would it not do anything at all?

I'm sure I'm just overly paranoid, but I really appreciate any answers you can give me... Thank you!

Comments

[archangelbeth]

http://www.epigee.org/guide/medfaq.html -- "Although there is no conclusive evidence that a brief exposure to the artificial hormones contained in hormonal birth controls will cause harm to an unborn child, it is generally advised that you stop using this type of birth control if a pregnancy is suspected. Find more information on birth control pills and their effects on pregnancy at [http://www.wdxcyber.com/ncontr08.htm]."

That link, at the bottom, gives:
"While no one would intentionally take oral contraceptives if they knew they were pregnant, many women each year inadvertently take pills being unaware they are already pregnant. In the U.S. and Europe, in approximately 2-5% of all pregnancies mothers have a history of having taken birth control pills without realizing they were pregnant. Many years ago, with higher dose contraceptive pills, there were concerns that the hormones in pills could produce genital changes in both male and female babies. Subsequent studies have failed to confirm this. At the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, the Motherisk program which tracks various birth defects, there is a good article on oral contraceptives and their effect on pregnancy (3). This article suggests that there is no need to be concerned about the pills causing birth defects any more than the background rate of birth defects that normally occurs."

I'm having a heck of a time finding the article referenced on the Motherisk site, though. O:p

Anyway, keep taking the pills, grab a pregnancy test for reassurance, and only discontinue taking the pills if it comes up positive, is what I'd say.

[queensugar.livejournal.com]

First up, I wouldn't fret too much -- you are very protected against pregnancy on HBC, and it's doubtful that you are pregnant.

However, it is extremely common on POPs to have irregular bleeding, absent periods, long stretches of time with no period followed by lots of bleeding... etcetera. Basically, POPs can and do play havoc with many women's bleeding patterns.

So all in all, it's much more likely that your period is missing due to HBC, and not pregnancy.

That said, a pregnancy test generally shows accurate results starting at about 14 days after the sex in question, or the first day of a missed period. So feel free to take one now, and keep taking your pills as normal in order to remain protected -- there is no evidence that HBC negatively affects a fetus.

[queensugar.livejournal.com]

Oh, but I will add that normally, on POPs, taking a pill more than 3 hours late requires back-up protection for the next 48 hours. So if you did not follow those guidelines, there would be a larger risk of pregnancy than I previously thought.

Out of curiosity, is there a medical reason that you're taking POPs? If you find that taking them at the exact same time every day is a bit of a struggle, you may be better served by combination pills, which are much more forgiving of hourly variations in taking-time, and allow for a regular bleed.