Breakthrough bleeding when taking OCs is bleeding that occurs at the beginning or middle of the menstrual cycle while using birth control pills. Unlike the meager spotting of blood when addicted to such medications, breakthrough bleeding is very profuse.
Oral contraceptives
Oral contraceptives today are the best option for preventing unwanted pregnancies. As a rule, when using such funds, a temporary break is assumed, during which menstruation should occur. After this period, the woman resumes the use of the contraceptive. However, it often happens that she has breakthrough bleeding when taking OCs, that is, profuse spotting that appeared outside the prescribed period.
Adjustment period
Bleeding when using one or another contraceptive can be considered a very common occurrence and a negative side effect of this kind of medication. Weak, minor bleeding is quite likely during the period of addiction to such pills.
How long does breakthrough bleeding last with OC? According to statistics, in about 40% of women, bloody spotting disappears in the first months of using oral contraception. For 10%, the adaptation period can last about six months. And in about 5% of women, such bleeding is also observed after the addiction process is completed. Moreover, multiple replacement of these drugs also does not eliminate the negative side effect.
Reason for selections
However, why does breakthrough bleeding occur when taking OK? The menstrual cycle is a chain of successive changes due to significant updates in the level of sex hormones in the blood. In the early stages of the cycle, estrogen is produced in large volumes. The highest concentration of this hormone is observed during the period of ovulation, and then, if conception has not occurred, it begins to gradually decrease. Simultaneously with a decrease in estrogen levels, there is an increase in the level of progesterone, which is responsible for the rejection of the uterine endometrial layer. A similar process manifests itself in the form of menstruation.
In other words, nature took care that in different phases of the cycle the body of a womancertain concentrations of hormones were produced. It should be noted that all modern oral contraceptives include in their composition small dosages of active elements, and such a concentration may simply not be enough at first to cover the normal level of these compounds. Therefore, an adaptation period is necessary so that the female body gets used to small doses of hormones and does not reject the endometrial layer ahead of schedule (that is, until the end of taking the pills from the package).
What is bleeding when taking oral contraceptives? If, during the use of a new drug, menstruation occurs in a small amount, and for hygiene a woman needs only daily pads, it makes no sense to take any measures, since the body often copes with this side effect of the oral drug on its own. Such spotting does not pose any threat to a woman and their presence in the first three months of contraception does not need to be replaced or canceled by OK. It must also be emphasized that such bleeding does not reduce the contraceptive effect of the medication.
The only thing to keep in mind is taking your pills at a certain time. It is very important to understand that there are no "bad" or "good" methods of contraception, but there are suitable methods for a certain woman and not suitable ones.
Insufficient hormone dosage
When the habituation process is over andsmall blood loss is noted in the middle or in the initial phase of the cycle, this indicates an insufficient dosage of the estrogen element in the medical product, so it is likely that the selection of a drug with a higher content of this hormone will solve this problem. If the adaptation period is over, and bleeding in the middle of the cycle continues to be observed, this may indicate a deficiency of the progestogen component. This means that you need to start using a medication with a higher dosage of progestogen. However, if in this case the discharge does not stop or, on the contrary, intensifies, and they are accompanied by painful sensations in the lower abdomen, it is necessary to consult a gynecologist. So why does breakthrough bleeding occur when taking OC?
Causes of breakthrough bleeding
When a woman experiences menstrual-like bleeding while taking a hormonal contraceptive, such a clinical picture usually indicates breakthrough uterine bleeding. It develops because in the process of the uterus getting used to the new hormonal status, there is an increase in endometrial atrophy as a result of exposure to progestogens, and the dose of the estrogen component in the contraceptive is very small, and does not allow performing hemostatic (hemostatic) functions.
As already noted, during a normal cycle, by the end of menstruation, the level of estrogens in the blood increases, as a result of which the exfoliation of the endometrial layer stops, and the bleeding stops. However, during the period of use of synthetichormonal agents, these processes do not always occur correctly. In addition, breakthrough uterine bleeding when taking OK can occur due to the following reasons:
- various gynecological pathologies (ovarian dysfunction, endometriosis, polyps, fibroids, narrowing of the cervix);
- smoking, which has a pronounced antiestrogenic effect, which means there is a risk of breakthrough bleeding;
- violations of the contraceptive regimen (missing a pill, abrupt withdrawal of medication);
- use of antibiotics and drugs that affect the nervous system;
- due to diarrhea and vomiting (impaired absorption of the components of the product);
- taking natural medicines based on St. John's wort;
- under the influence of sexually transmitted infections;
- hormonal contraceptive intolerance.
Algorithm of actions in case of breakthrough bleeding
If we talk about the natural causes of breakthrough uterine bleeding (withdrawal bleeding, adaptation period), then in this case it is most reasonable to rush to the gynecologist. First of all, it is necessary to check the patient for pregnancy. The fact is that pregnancy is not excluded even during the use of OK, especially if the woman was prescribed antibiotics in parallel with them, or one day she forgot about using the remedy, or she had bouts of diarrhea or vomiting. It must be remembered that the uterus canrespond with bleeding to the processes of implantation of the egg, so the specialist needs to conduct a laboratory study of the urine and blood of the patient for the presence of the hCG hormone. What else to do with breakthrough bleeding?
Doubling the dosage
In cases where the onset of pregnancy is not confirmed, the specialist, as a rule, advises to double the dosage of the drug taken (1 tablet in the morning and evening). In this mode of taking the contraceptive, it should be taken until the bleeding stops, and then return to the usual scheme for taking the drug: 1 tablet per day. Since the course of such medicines should not exceed 24 days, it is likely that you will need to purchase another package of the medicine.
It is very important to know that in monophasic hormonal contraceptives, the composition of the tablets is absolutely identical, and in combined oral products, the pills are numbered in the active cell corresponding to the day of use of the drug. However, it should be remembered that if breakthrough bleeding occurs while taking birth control, it is not recommended to stop using the drug, as this will only increase it.
If canceled OK
When you abruptly stop taking hormonal contraceptives, breakthrough bleeding always occurs. This is the very menstruation, which, in fact, does not occur naturally, that is, bleeding after the end of the contraceptive package is always breakthrough. Another thing is if a woman sharplystop taking the tablets in the middle of the package, for example after a few days of use. In this case, breakthrough bleeding will begin again, even if it ended recently. Thus, the woman's body reacts to the cessation of certain hormones.
Next, learn how to stop breakthrough bleeding when taking OK?
Drug therapy
With severe uterine bleeding, if a woman is intensively losing blood in large volumes, urgent help is needed. In this case, drug therapy is used and the following drugs are prescribed:
- "Dicinone";
- Vikasol;
- Kontrykal;
- "Fibrinogen";
- Tranexam;
- "Oxytocin";
- Calcium chloride.
Which is the best birth control pill?
Oral contraceptives are the most sought-after remedy for unwanted pregnancy today. They are of two types:
- combined, which include progesterone and estrogen;
- gestagenic, based on only one synthetic analogue - progesterone.
All OCs contain the same amount of progesterone, which blocks ovulation. The division of medicines into categories occurs depending on the amount of estrogen in them:
- microdosed;
- low dose;
- highly dosed.
But you should not think that the higher the dose of estrogen, the more effectivemeans. Contraceptives are selected individually, taking into account the age of the woman, the state of her hormonal levels, lifestyle, and the presence of childbirth. But what birth control pills are better to choose, the doctor will tell.
Micro-dose, low-dose, high-dose
Microdosed drugs are prescribed for women who have not given birth and adolescents with cycle disorders. The constant dosage of ethinylestradiol in these preparations is about 20 mcg, and progestin - from 70 to 150 mcg. Such contraceptives are: Logest, Novinet, Jess Plus, Lindinet-20, Mercilon.
Those women who have spotting on a microdose, as well as women who have given birth in the past, are recommended pills with low doses of estrogen, namely: Diane-35, Yarina, Janine, Marvelon, Silhouette, Regulon, Trimerci, etc. This category contains ethinylestradiol (30 mcg) and progestins - from 150 to 300 mcg.
High-dose contraceptives are usually prescribed as a treatment for pathologies such as endometriosis, or during the treatment of hormonal imbalances. These include: Ovidon, Tri-regol, Non-ovlon, etc. Similar medications are also used as a contraceptive.
Progestogens
Progestin contraceptives include mini-pills that contain only microdoses of a progesterone analogue. This type of contraception is recommended for women during lactation, or for those who are not suitable for estrogen contraception. Often progestin drugs are prescribed to patients withhormonal disorders of the genital area, such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids, adenomyosis.
Mini drank
The mini-pills include the following remedies: "Charosetta", "Norkolut", "Microlut", etc. The effectiveness of these drugs is slightly lower than that of the combined ones, therefore, when using them, you must follow the instructions and adhere to a certain scheme. Only half of the patients using this type of contraception, ovulation is completely blocked, the rest have a chance of pregnancy.
When choosing a contraceptive, it is imperative to examine the hormonal background and, depending on the predominance of any hormones, the gynecologist prescribes to the patient two-phase, monophasic or three-phase agents that differ in the content of hormones and the frequency of use, and are also selected taking into account the age of the woman and the characteristics of her he alth.
We looked at the causes of breakthrough bleeding when taking OK.
