Withdrawal bleeding in women taking oral contraceptives is not the same as menstruation. While indeed bleeding usually occurs during the menstrual cycle, it is not natural menstruation. The source of its occurrence is completely different.
Withdrawal bleedingis spotting or scanty vaginal bleeding that occurs when you stop taking birth control pills.
Causes of withdrawal bleeding
The cause of a withdrawal bleeding may be a break of several days between two consecutive packs of pills or the complete discontinuation of hormonal contraception.
The break is due to the rules of using combined pills. After completing the pack, which normally consists of 21 pills, the woman should take a 7-day break before starting another pack of pills. During the time off taking hormones, the withdrawal bleeding usually occurs. There are also tablets on the market where these breaks are taken less frequently, e.g. every 84 days. Regardless of the pills taken, bleeding is the body's response to a sudden reduction in the dose of pregnancy-blocking hormones.
Withdrawal bleeding - is it always there and how long does it last?
There is no rule of thumb about the duration and profusion of withdrawal bleeding, although it can certainly be said to be less intense than normal menstruation. In addition, it is not accompanied by the painful and bothersome symptoms that many women observe during their period.
If you have just started your hormone treatment, the bleeding after the end of the pill packet can be very irregular. It takes a few cycles for this to normalize. Usually, after a few cycles, the bleeding stabilizes, i.e. it usually starts on the same day (or even at the same time), it is always the same sparse and lasts the same number of days each month.
Most often, withdrawal bleeding occurs on the second or third day after stopping contraceptive use and lasts for 3-4 days.
Occasionally, withdrawal bleeding may not be observed at all during the break between packs of contraceptive pills. In such a case, we should always rule out pregnancy. Another causein such a situation, apart from the pregnancy mentioned above, there is too little growth of the uterine mucosa, and thus there is no material that would peel off and expel in the form of bleeding.
It is worth mentioning here that most of the contraceptive pills available on the market can be used continuously - without taking a break. In such cases, there will be no bleeding at all. It must be admitted that the lack of heavy bleeding and minimization of it, as well as the lack of burdensome symptoms occurring during menstruation, apart from the contraceptive effect, is the most valued advantage of pills by women. Hence the great popularity of these measures.
According to an expertRafał Karwowski, a resident physician, specializing in obstetrics and gynecologyBleeding during breaks in taking birth control pills is a very important symptom for many women. Despite the possibility of using an extended schedule and reducing the number of withdrawal bleeds to 4 per year, or simply using estrogen-progestogen tablets with no prescribed breaks between packages, many women using oral contraceptives do not choose such variants of using these agents. The regular occurrence of bleeding during the tablet-free break, in women who use this method correctly, is evidence that this method of contraception is effective and is synonymous with the absence of pregnancy.
This will be useful to youWithdrawal bleeding is normal and does not pose a risk to your he alth. On the contrary. By taking the contraceptive pill, a woman loses less blood, so they counteract the anemia to which women have a period of heavy periods.
Withdrawal bleeding - when should it worry?
Withdrawal bleeding - if it is scanty - is perfectly normal and should not be alarming.
Spotting should be a concern, as it worsens, although many months have passed since the start of taking birth control pills. If the measures are taken as recommended, and any bleeding is accompanied by a malaise, you should report this fact to your doctor. Heavy bleeding creates a risk of anemia. Perhaps you should change the type of contraception to another - one based on a different content of hormones or completely without them. Sometimes the cause of heavy bleeding may also be various diseases, e.g. fibroids, so you should not delay the visit to the gynecologist to diagnose the problem.
How do I stop a withdrawal bleeding?
Most hormone pill brands available on the market can be takentwo packages of the drug without making a break between them. This combination of hormone intake cycles is safe and is a solution when we want to postpone the bleeding or completely postpone it. Usually, this method is useful during trips, e.g. on vacation, when bleeding could be a nuisance.
After all, most women accept and feel comfortable with withdrawal bleeding - mainly because it is the best proof that they have not become pregnant. Sudden cessation of bleeding is in the first place associated with conception.
According to an expertRafał Karwowski, a resident physician, specializing in obstetrics and gynecologyLack of withdrawal bleeding should always be a cause for concern, especially if any tablets have been missed in a given cycle. If a woman suspects that she is pregnant while using oral contraception, she should see her gynecologist as soon as possible.
In contrast, women who become pregnant while taking contraceptive pills or who unknowingly took pills at an early stage should be reassured, as recent studies have not found that such unintentional use of these drugs increases the risk of serious fetal defects.
->WITHDRAWAL BLEEDING AND POSSIBILITY OF PREGNANCY
->WITHDRAWAL PAIN FROM TABLET WITHDRAWAL
->ADJUSTMENT OF WITHDRAWAL BLEEDING DATES
->NO WITHDRAWAL BLEEDING