[identity profile] lookingatlucky.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] vaginapagina
Hello, 

I've been on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo (21 active pills) for about three months now. I'm in a long distance relationship and of course my next period is due to happen exactly when I'll be seeing the bf again. I've never attempted to stack pills before and I've read a little bit about people having trouble doing it with triphasic pills. Basically I'm wondering if I should take my week 3 pills during the week I'm supposed to get my period, and if I take the week 3 pills how do I take the rest of the pack or just take week one and hope for no period or spotting? Any help would be much appreciated :)

Date: 2012-09-27 02:59 am (UTC)
archangelbeth: An egyptian-inspired eye, centered between feathered wings. (Eye in the Pyrawings)
From: [personal profile] archangelbeth
(As you may know...) The difficulty in stacking triphasics is that the uterus interprets a drop in hormones as a signal to bleed -- and Week 3 has the highest dose of hormones. Thus, a Week 3 to Week 1 is very likely to be interpreted as enough of a drop to trigger a bleed.

If you know that you're stacking ahead of time, you can take the packs in a 1-1-2-2-3-3-[7 days placebos] pattern, which produces no abrupt drop in hormones. (Week 1 from pack A, week 1 from pack B, and so on.)

If you're stacking as a last-minute thing, then the pattern is 1-2-3-3-2-1, and 7 days of fewer of placebos/no-hormones. This avoids any drop in hormones for at least a week beyond the first pack's week 3, and the drop from Week 3 to Week 2's lower hormones may be gradual enough that one's uterus doesn't take exception.

It is possible that you will have spotting or breakthrough bleeding anyway, if your uterus has built up enough lining that it is just gonna shed that lining no matter what. Stacking is always a bit of a gamble.

I hope that's useful data for you!

Date: 2012-09-29 03:13 am (UTC)
archangelbeth: An egyptian-inspired eye, centered between feathered wings. (Eye in the Pyrawings)
From: [personal profile] archangelbeth
You could accept that you'll be spotting [edit: if you drop to week 1 at the end] and start taking week 2 of pack B, so it'd go something like 1-2-2-3-3, and then [edit: you can spot on the second week 1,] or you just keep the spare week-1 pills in case you lose a pill at some point.

And to the edit, so far as I know from reading VP for... some years now, yes, you're protected if you take your pills like that -- the lowest level hormone pills are still enough to keep the ovaries hypnotized.

However, Natazia -- which is a quad-phasic -- does not have that assurance. I think there is a way to make it work, but it's not a simple, and it doesn't have sufficient positive anecdata that I'd feel comfortable recommending it to anyone who absolutely had to have the best odds of protection.
Edited Date: 2012-09-29 03:14 am (UTC)

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