As a rule, girls and women turn to oral contraceptives to prevent unwanted pregnancies. The drugs affect the hormonal background, which leads to changes in the reproductive system. One of the consequences is the impossibility of pregnancy. Another plus from taking OK is the normalization of the menstrual cycle. This is especially important if it was previously unstable.
But if the hormonal drugs are chosen incorrectly or the woman "appointed" them to herself, the menstrual cycle becomes chaotic. If menstruation began while taking birth control pills, what could this mean? How to avoid the problem? Why does the cycle destabilize?
Why choose OK?
Of course, the main function of contraceptives is to prevent unwanted pregnancy. But girls and women choose this method for other reasons. The main one is the effect on the menstrual cycle. Hormonalfunds allow to stabilize it - menstruation will no longer become an unpleasant surprise, as a woman will know about their onset in 1-2 days.
The menstruation itself when taking OK proceeds more quickly and painlessly. PMS symptoms are milder or almost invisible.
Another useful feature of OK - they help improve skin condition. Therefore, these contraceptives are often prescribed for girls who do not have an active sexual life. The fact is that the tablets contain estrogen, which suppresses another hormone - androgen, which is responsible for the production of sebum. But OK is not a panacea for acne. After all, the causes of skin rashes are different and not always hormonal in nature.
How do drugs work?
I got my period while taking birth control pills. Why is this happening? To understand the issue, we need to imagine how these drugs affect the female body.
The composition of OK contains a certain proportion of hormones. They are the active elements here:
- When exposed to the drug, the pituitary gland blocks the production of biologically active substances that provide reproductive function.
- The maturation of the follicle with the egg is slowed down. As a result, ovulation does not occur - the egg is released "to meet" with the sperm. After all, this cell is immature, unprepared.
- The contractility of the fallopian tubes decreases. Consequently, it becomes impossible for sperm to move through them.
- Cervical fluid in its composition becomesmore viscous and dense. This blocks sperm from entering the uterus.
- The structure of the endometrium changes. Even if the egg has been fertilized, it cannot cling to the lining of the uterus. Why will he remain without food and die.
Best effect
If you get your period while using birth control pills, then this is not a reason to worry. Failure of the menstrual cycle when taking OK does not always indicate serious causes, pregnancy. However, this is a sufficient reason to visit a gynecologist.
Today, experts everywhere recommend contraceptives such as hormonal drugs to patients. It's about the obvious benefits OK:
- Elimination of PMS. The woman ceases to suffer from severe aching pains in the lower abdomen, headaches.
- More scanty menses. Since the body loses less blood mass, this reduces the risk of developing iron deficiency anemia.
- Reduces the likelihood of developing diseases such as endometriosis or ovarian cancer.
- If a woman is already suffering from endometriosis, then OK helps to mitigate the manifestations of this disease.
- Bones become stronger, skin condition improves, acne is eliminated, hair looks he althier.
- Hormonal contraception guarantees high (but not one hundred percent) protection against unwanted pregnancy (including ectopic).
- If a woman continues to take hormonal contraceptives during premenopause,symptoms of menopause are mitigated.
Side effects and contraindications
Can I take birth control pills during my period? All questions about OK for a girl, a woman should be answered by her attending physician. After all, these are drugs, the intake of which may be accompanied by side effects:
- Headaches.
- Change in appetite.
- Mood swings for no reason.
It is important to understand that hormonal drugs have a number of contraindications:
- High blood pressure.
- Risk of vascular thrombosis.
- Serious general diseases.
Changes in the body when prescribing OK
If a woman has just started taking birth control pills, her periods may be unstable. This phenomenon should not be frightened - it is observed in 80% of those who switched to hormonal contraception.
Moreover, the destabilization of the cycle is completely different for different women. It all depends on the state of their endocrine and reproductive systems:
- Too scanty or, on the contrary, intense menstruation.
- Monthly ends sometimes earlier and sometimes later.
If you get your period while taking birth control pills, why does this happen? We will analyze all the reasons.
Menstruation while taking hormonal contraceptives
If everything is fine with the woman's body, when taking birth control pills, menstruation goes on as usual. Timingdo not change.
Start taking birth control pills during menstruation. Usually 1-5 days of menstruation. The nature of the discharge also does not change. When menstruation is scanty when taking birth control pills, then there is no cause for concern if this is the beginning of the transition to OK. Scanty menstruation will persist until the next cycle. This is due to the influence of the hormones that make up the OK.
If the menstruation did not start on time while taking birth control pills, this is not a pathology. The first month (sometimes even 2-3 months) the body adapts to the drug. Why changes in the menstrual cycle are not an alarm. If the destabilization continues for more than 3 months, the woman feels unwell, notes other incomprehensible symptoms, there is a reason to consult a doctor to change or stop the drug.
Why does my period go off with OK?
Because of what, with birth control pills, menstruation began? Menstruation is a normal physiological process of cyclical changes in the functions of the female reproductive system. Outwardly, this is manifested by bloody uterine discharge, called menstruation, menstruation. During this cycle, the female body is preparing for conception and pregnancy. If the egg is not fertilized, the cycle repeats again.
The menstrual cycle is a hormone-dependent process. Therefore, it is also affected by OK, containing hormonal elements. After menstruation(output of dead unfertilized eggs and endometrium) the female reproductive system is busy growing new eggs, which become ready for fertilization 13-14 days after the end of menstruation. If this happens, menstruation begins again with the removal of unnecessary swollen (to fix the eggs) endometrium.
Why do I get my period while taking birth control pills? After all, the ovaries at this time "rest", the eggs do not mature. This means that there is no ovulation. If menstruation has begun while taking birth control pills, this is not due to the death of the endometrium and the preparation of the uterus for a new menstrual cycle. This phenomenon occurs due to the body's reaction to the withdrawal of OK.
As a rule, according to the written prescription, a woman takes a pack of funds (21 tablets). Then she takes a break of 7 days. At this time, menstruation begins. It causes a sharp decrease in the concentration of female hormones in the body, which is the reason for the rejection of the endometrium. This phenomenon is normal. And just the same, it says that the right contraceptive was chosen for the woman.
But if there is no menstruation during the break, this requires an appeal to a gynecologist. The situation indicates a hormonal failure in the body. Or about problems of a different nature. Sometimes the absence of menstruation during a break indicates the onset of pregnancy. Conception is possible, since none of the instructions for OK says that the product provides 100% protection against pregnancy.
Sometimes conception occurs because the patient has neglecteddoctor's recommendations: drank pills at the wrong time, skipped taking them. Therefore, in the absence of menstruation during a break, it will not be superfluous to conduct a pregnancy test, to appear for an ultrasound of the pelvic organs.
Intermenstrual discharge when OK
Often on women's forums you can find similar messages: "I'm taking birth control pills and my period has started - what is it?"
If we turn to medical statistics, 30% of women after switching to hormonal contraception for 3 months have intermenstrual discharge. Sometimes this period is delayed up to six months. According to the same statistics, this most likely manifests itself when taking low-dose contraceptive drugs (they contain no more than 20 micrograms of estrogen). Often this dosage is not enough to establish a stable menstrual cycle.
That is, in this case, the endometrium begins to be torn away earlier than the due time. As a result, the woman notes: "I'm taking birth control pills, and my period started ahead of schedule." But this phenomenon does not mean a decrease in the effectiveness of prescribed drugs. That is, pregnancy does not occur when such a symptom occurs.
If such blood smearing continues, it is not worth canceling hormonal contraceptives. You just need to pay more attention to personal hygiene. If the spotting does not stop 3 months after the appointment of OK, you should think about changing the remedy. Of particular concern should be intenseselection. But it is better not to engage in "self-prescription" of a new drug. The correct way out of the situation is to contact your gynecologist.
If intermenstrual bleeding starts at the time you start taking a new pack of OK, this indicates that the estrogen contained in the tablets is not enough. You need a remedy with a higher concentration of this hormone.
But if blood smearing is noted, on the contrary, by the end of the package with tablets, this indicates an insufficient content of the gestagen element in the product. It may be necessary to match OK with a different type of this hormone.
What else can cause intermenstrual bleeding?
But blood smearing does not always speak only of an incorrectly selected hormonal preparation. Intermenstrual bleeding may be a consequence of this:
- A woman forgot to take several pills in a row, to which the body responds with a menstrual reaction.
- Craving for smoking (it slows down estrogen production).
- Taking drugs that are incompatible with OK.
- Infectious diseases affecting the genitourinary system.
Intensive menstruation when taking OK
Quite intense bleeding is often observed when using hormonal contraceptives, which occur at the wrong time. If a woman takes only the first pack of OK, this may indicate bursting bleeding. It is associated with the adaptation of her body to hormonal drugs. The point is that activeprogestogens cause active death of the endometrium. This is ultimately what induces menstruation.
However, in modern contraceptives, there is quite a bit of estrogen, which in this case performs a hemostatic function. But with normal menstruation, not caused by taking OK, a different situation is observed. Menstruation ends when the level of estrogen in the blood of a woman rises significantly. When taking birth control, this process is not always perfect.
In the event that the discharge is intense, the gynecologist usually decides to change the hormonal drug. In particular, a remedy with a high content of missing hormones is prescribed.
Monthly when canceled OK
As practice shows, many women after the abolition of hormonal contraceptives significantly increase the chance of becoming pregnant. It is called the rebound effect. Due to the fact that the ovaries after the abolition of OK begin to work in a more active mode than before. Therefore, as a "prevention" such hormonal drugs are prescribed to women who want to get pregnant.
But in certain cases, the reverse phenomenon is also observed. This is ovarian hyperinhibition. The reproductive system is in an upset state, which is why both ovulation and menstruation are absent. Such a state, of course, does not persist for life. It clears up on its own within three months.
But we must not forget that a considerable number of women andmenstrual cycle, and reproductive function is not restored immediately, but within a year after the abolition of contraceptives.
What determines the duration of the recovery period? Several factors come into play here:
- Type of hormonal contraceptive, dose of active ingredients it contained.
- Duration of birth control use.
- Age of the woman.
- The state of the body after the cancellation of OK, the fact of the presence of concomitant diseases.
If a woman fails to become pregnant within a year after stopping OK, this situation requires observation by a gynecologist.
Menstruation when OK is a normal occurrence during a break in taking the remedy. There may also be spotting in the intermenstrual period while taking the pills. This phenomenon has its reasons, both natural and requiring a visit to a gynecologist.
