Oh Crap...

[petal-abstract.livejournal.com]

I've missed two of my dark blue active pills on Ortho Tricyclen Low.

I went to the website and it just confused me even more...

I have yet to take my pill for today.  And I started having dark brown discharge earlier this week  And last night my discharge was more  period colored and normal.  This discharge has been on and off all day.

I skipped last month's period also using HBC...If that makes a difference.

So...what do I do?

PS: I am not sexually active, so you don't have to worry about that factor.

Thank you!

Comments

[br0ken_dolly]

honestly? i'd just forget the rest of the pack, let your period show up, and resume your pills after that (7 days from now or whatever). that's what i do when i screw up at the end of the active pills, and i haven't had any problems with it. seems better than trying to resume taking the rest of the pack-- i just end up bleeding longer.

good luck!

[queensugar.livejournal.com]

I think that will work fine for the OP.

However, for anyone who is using HBC for contraceptive reasons, it's important to remember that shortening the amount of active pills taken means that contraceptive effectiveness cannot be guaranteed during the placebo week... you must take at least 21 days of active pills to be fully protected during the seven days off. :)

The riskiest time to miss pills in terms of reducing pregnancy protection is at the end or beginning of a new pack, closest to the placebo week.

So women needing contraception in this situation should follow the directions OTC lays out, including skipping the placebo week and starting a new pack immediately, in order to remain fully protected.

[queensugar.livejournal.com]

Well, this is what it says on the OTC-LO site:

Keep taking one pill every day until Sunday only if you are a Sunday Starter. On Sunday, THROW OUT the rest of the pack and start a new pack of pills that same day. However, if you are a Day 1 Starter, THROW OUT the rest of the pill pack and start a new pack that same day. You may not have your period this month, but this is to be expected. However, if you miss your period 2 months in a row, call your healthcare professional because you might be pregnant.

So basically, did you start your HBC originally on a Sunday that was not the start of a period, or did you start it on the first day of your period (regardless of what day of the week it was)?

If you started on a Sunday (and start every pill pack on a Sunday), then take one pill a day until the end of the pack. Then start a new pack without the placebo week.

If you originally started on the first day of your period, then throw out the current pack now and start a new one today, with the active pills.

However, those rules are really there to maintain contraceptive effectiveness.

Since that's not really an issue for you, you can continue on your normal HBC cycle if you like (and if you do happen to become sexually active in the next little while, remember to use back-up until seven active pills have been taken of your next pack).

Your period might be a little wonky in any variety of ways this time around, but I wouldn't fret about it. Basically, what you're experiencing is breakthrough bleeding from the drop in hormones due to missing the pills... missing the pills triggered your body to start bleeding.

The dark brown discharge, by the way, is really old blood that didn't leave your uterus during your last period. It's normal. :)

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