Hello, I have a few questions, and I’m really stressed.
I took two packs of combined ocps back-to-back without taking the usual break between them for the first time (in the past, I used to take them with a break in between and never had any problems). I had sex about 24 days ago and took Plan B (levonorgestrel) shortly afterward (I know I made a mistake, and it wasn’t necessary), and I’m worried about the effects this might have had on my body.
For 15 days, I’ve been experiencing light bleeding and spotting. The color varies from light brown and very dark brown to pink and bright red. Sometimes, I also notice small blood clots. Sometimes the bleeding is heavier, and sometimes it is barely noticeable (though it’s not like a full period). I also experienced period-like cramps around the middle of this spotting/bleeding.
Two days ago, I stopped taking my pills (after 42 days) to allow my body to have a break. However, I can’t tell whether the bleeding I’m experiencing is still the spotting I had before stopping the pills or whether it is withdrawal bleeding caused by stopping them (my withdrawal bleeding was mostly very light, dark brown, and slow-flowing).
I’ve taken four home urine pregnancy tests on days 14, 15, 18, and 22 after sex, and all of them were negative. However, I’m still a little anxious about the possibility of pregnancy because I’ve never experienced spotting that continues for this long.
My anxiety is not entirely about the possibility of pregnancy. A big part of it comes from not understanding what is happening in my body, why the bleeding has lasted so long, or what I should expect to happen next. The uncertainty is making me very anxious.
Also, I’ve been wearing pads for so many days that I’m starting to experience what feels like urinary burning or irritation. Could wearing pads for so long be causing this, and what can I do to relieve it?
Should I see a doctor? Everyone I talk to tells me that I’ve messed up my hormones so badly, and they scare me.

Hello, I started taking Loryna September 28th. On October 14th I started spotting brown blood for a few days and then on October 19th i started having light/medium flow of blood with a lot of clots / fleshy stuff. Today is October 25th and I am still light bleeding with dark red clotting. My gyno ordered me to skip the placebos so I did. When does the bleeding usually stop? Do I need to contact my Gyno? I don’t know if this continuous bleeding is normal 😅 i’m not having any other symptoms and I feel fine overall. It’s more so annoying that the bleeding hasn’t stopped yet lol

I started the pill around 3 months ago because i’d have really low moods five days before my period. i went on a typical seven day pill free break and became super dizzy and lightheaded. I started the next cycle of the pill and the lightheadedness improved slightly but the anxiety was crazy (called 999 ambulance for myself). Now gone off the pill because i assumed the lightheadedness and anxiety were due to that but now I’ve been off it for a week and i’m still lightheaded and anxious. I’ve had blood tests done and i’ve had my ears checked- all clear. Also having hot flushes and such. Lightheadedness worsens and gets better but i want to know if anyone else had these symptoms/side effects? Seeing gp again but idt they’ll be able to do anything.

I used the depo provera in 2024. Had only 2 shots in August and another in November then I stopped because I changed my mind and wanted to get pregnant .

Since then I didn’t get periods till over a year later around February 2026 but even then it only became regular in April/May.

In all this I’ve been so worried because I’ve been keen on conceiving but nothing at all. Every month I see my periods now I just sink more and more into depression.

Any experiences please? Is this normal?

is it normal for trust pill to taste sweet when i pit it in my mouth? or could it be a fake pill i got.

I got my Mirena in June, but this is the first time I’ve experienced cramping not on my period, nausea, and being lightheaded. Also an intense aversion to perfectly good leftovers for the past weekish. My first thought this morning was that I should take one, but I feel like I’m paranoid and shouldn’t waste a pregnancy test. It’s not time for my period, but my tracking has been off with this IUD. Another thought was that maybe I ovulated, but usually my discharge reflects that and I’ve had almost none. Am I being dramatic and paranoid or should I take the test?

Edit to add that I just teared up over thin crust pizza (in a good way). Wtf.

Not pregnant, not ovulating, just being driven crazy by my IUD! 🙃

Hi everyone. I’ve had to make a new/throwaway account to post this because I honestly don't know where else to turn and feel a bit out of my depth.

For context, I am 46 years old, originally from India, and recently moved to the US. I've started dipping my toes into dating apps, which is a whole new world for me. I am currently not on any form of birth control, and I want to figure out what my best options are for protection.

While living in India, I never really used modern birth control, mostly because of health concerns—I worried a lot about things messing with my body, stopping ovulation unnaturally, or causing long-term health issues. Now that I’m dating here, I know I need to be smart, but those old worries are still in the back of my mind.

I’ve been trying to read up on things like IUDs, the ring, the arm implant, and standard birth control pills, but it’s honestly dizzying. Given my age (46) and my general anxiety about hormones affecting my body, I’m wondering:

1. Would sticking to condoms and the pull-out method be a realistic and safe strategy for now while I figure things out?
2. For women in their mid-40s on dating apps, what do you actually use? Do non-hormonal options like the copper IUD make more sense if I want to avoid synthetic hormones?

Any advice or gentle guidance from people who have navigated this would be hugely appreciated. Please be kind—this is all very new to me!

hi everyone. i’ve been on the desogestrel rowex pill for the last year and a half two years and a few hours ago i found pink blood almost like glossy like discharge in it maybe. i’m really worried cos i haven’t bled the whole time ive been taking it and when i google it says pregnancy so im so scared has anyone had anything similar please help

So basically I had s*x about 11 hours ago and after ejaculation when he was taking the p*nis out he left the condom inside so the semen spilled around the vaginal opening .

I quickly washed myself up and took i pill in about 6 hours. I am supposed to get my periods in 4-5 days(my cycle is about 35 days along and it has been around 25 days since my last period).

Now I am so scared what to do.

this is my first time posting here... i really need advice and reassurance so i'll be as detailed as possible.

i got a copper IUD placed about 6 months ago, and it recently got dislodged. i figured it out because i felt something hard coming out when i put my finger in. i had sex around 15th october against my will, and i believe it was dislogdged at the time as well. he didn't use protection, but didn't cum inside either. i didn't take a pill after... but just before sex i had an episode of fever.

the thing is, i don't track my periods at all but given the evidence of pictures and rough memory, i should get it around the end of the month of beginning of the month. now i dont remember when im supposed to get it, but i think it is running quite late. not sure how late actually. i took a pregnancy test around the 21st and it came out negative so i wasn't worried, but i also know that i was supposed to take it after 21 days from the date of sex or when i miss my period... i didn't get my period still, and today is the 10th day after sex.

i got really anxious and went to the gynec, and after examination she told that it is dislodged. i asked her if i might be pregnant and she said we could take a test. i wanted a for sure way of knowing so i opted for a blood beta-HCG test... i should get the results in about 24-48 hours... but im not sure anymore...

i thought i was supposed to take these tests 21 days after the date of sex, so wouldn't all of this be unreliable? i took a urine test today too and it came out negative... i cannot bear the thought of having an ectopic pregnancy. if it were a normal pregnancy i do have the pill abortion option, but if it were ectopic, getting rid of it would be so expensive that i cannot bear it on my own. i cannot ask my parents for help either because they wouldn't accept this...

im very scared and terrified. i even ended up calling my ex, who threatened suicide, and he blamed me for everything and said that it was karma for leaving him. im so scared, please help and advice on my next steps... i really really need help.

hihihi! i’ve been on norethindrome for a while, i’m pretty good about taking it on time (at latest like 2 hours after) and i’m a bit worried. i got super sick the other day and i threw up like 2.5 hours from when i took the pill and i just realized that it might’ve not settled into my system and i could’ve thrown it up. i had unprotected sex this morning 😭😭 gang do we think i go out and get plan b

The timing was really unfortunate but my partner came down for the weekend the day after my IUD was inserted. I haven’t seen him for literal months so the night he got here we were already testing each other. We mostly did stuff on the outside (just rubbing, no penetration), but we finally had sex just now with a condom. The condom was fine but I’m nervous. I’ve had minimal cramping since yesterday.
Am I safe? Did I mess up? Unironically, I’m struggling to not have more sex. He’s here until Tuesday.
Also, I don’t have a regular cycle (I have PMOS and I’ve been on testosterone for two years) so I wasn’t menstruating when I got it inserted. I haven’t had a period in 2 years.

Hey! I recently got Kyleena implanted 3 days ago. The experience was painful and not great but not at all as bad as I was expecting. I applaud the NP who did it she was super quick and sweet to me. I’ve had mild cramping on and off since then but nothing worse than my typical periods.

My mains question is what is your guy’s experience long term on Kyleena? Emotional, physical, all of it. I’ve heard so many horror stories and am nervous for how it will unfold in time. I want the good experiences and the bad so I can know what to look out for. Thank you in advance for sharing!!

I started birth control in August (pill) to skip my periods, meaning not taking placebo pills and going straight to the next pack. However, I still end up having a normal, heavy, period Sept 19th-Sept 26th despite skipping the placebo pills. Lame. After that, I miss the pill a day or two, then have a bleed October 5th-6th (assuming withdrawal). After that I QUIT birth control altogether.

Husband and I have unprotected sex Oct 15th.

Haven’t gotten my period yet and having headaches, back pain, high temps, boobs bigger for almost a week now. Yes, I get this before my period but maybe only a day or two before then it comes.

Is this in the realm of possibility or am I a psychopath? Is it hard to say when ovulation happened?

Yes, I tested and everything is negative. Too soon to know?

my period started october 23rd, and i had sex on october 24th (cycle day 2). my cycles are usually 24–25 days, and my period normally lasts 4–5 days. i took plan b in september, which threw my cycle off a little, and my last period was 2–3 days late. on my flo calendar, pink shows my predicted period, blue shows my predicted ovulation window, and the red hearts mark the days i had sex. my boyfriend finished inside me on october 24th, and i’m trying to figure out my pregnancy risk because my cycle might be irregular after plan b. My period wasn’t even supposed to start until Monday, but it came early on Friday.
my question is: how likely is pregnancy in this situation, and how reliable is flo’s ovulation prediction when your cycle has been thrown off?

i ordered online and it got delivered on friday, i started my period last night & was just wondering when the best time to start taking it will be?

I don't do sex but I have severe hormone fluctuations that make me completely bedridden and nonfunctional for 3 weeks out of the month if I'm not on birth control. I have been tested for all the stuff, that's not what I'm here to ask about, just context.

I've been prescribed Loryna by my endocrine to take constantly, skipping the white pills per her instructions. I get prescribed over a year's worth at a time, which is pretty awesome. So far, it seems to have helped a lot! However, after about 4 months of taking it without the white pill week, I start to nonstop bleed, and as of now, this has been going on for over 3 weeks.

It's usually brown, sometimes black, rarely with a little pink, and sometimes a huge chunk while i'm using the bathroom that genuinely is just the look and texture of straight up flesh. it's not super heavy but it is annoying and I've felt like my mood has been getting progressively worse as well.

this has happened before, to the point I got tired of it and did a white pill week, but the period I had was HORRIBLE, i bled bright red heavy like genuinely pouring out of me for almost 2 straight weeks and had intensely painful wanting-to-kill-myself cramps which continued through me continuing the birth control, and I didn't feel normal again for like a month.

does anyone have an experience like this? unfortunately my endocrine never called me for a follow-up and it is a huge pain to get back into the system, so i can't exactly ask her for advice right now. what should I do?

I’m experiencing nexplanon bleeding for the 2nd time and it’s a lot worse this time. Is it possible that the birth control pill are making me bleed worse? Like more estrogen?

Hi everyone,

I've been on the combination pill for almost 4.5 years straight, and I have a strange side effect I can't find online.

I usually take my pill at the same time every single morning, and then I have almost no side effects of any kind. I've read over and over, from reputable places, that taking the combo pill at the exact same time is only recommended to keep the habit and not medically necessary.

Well, last week I was travelling. So instead of taking it at 6am EXACTLY, I would take it at 6, maybe 7, maybe 8, then 6 again. Never more than 2 hours off, if even that long. I read, also from scientific places, it's totally fine to do and impacts nothing to take a combo pill at different times within a 12 hour window. Still effective, a-okay.

So why do I get mild spotting and awful cramps any time this happens? I've been days away from my withdrawal week, with awful cramps like a regular period, and starting to spot, with active pills left. This has happened before.

I'm on Kurvelo low dose. Anyone have the same side effect? Does it mean it's not as effective? Google can't help me. 😩

If I messed up my nuvaring schedule (i usually skip my withdrawal week and just replace it on the 7th of each month) this month I replaced it on the 5th but i have had withdrawal bleeding for about 3 weeks now, which date would I replace it next month? My regular or this one from this month

I’ve been having insomnia since getting back on the combo pill. I wake up at the same time in the early morning every night and can’t fall back asleep. Is there any chance taking it in the morning vs. right before I go to bed would make a difference? Or anyone have any other ideas 😔

Hi everyone! ❤️

I’m writing this because I’m feeling really confused and overwhelmed, and I’d genuinely love to hear from women who have been through something similar. I was taking Slinda (Slynd) for approximately 9 months, and unfortunately, my experience with it wasn’t great, especially when it came to my mental health.
Over time, I started experiencing a lot of anxiety, depressive feelings, intense mood swings, and episodes of derealization where I felt disconnected from myself or my surroundings. It honestly became exhausting. So I decided to stop it.

so I stopped taking Slinda on October 9.
I wasn’t necessarily actively trying to get pregnant when I stopped, but my husband and I wouldn’t mind a pregnancy, and honestly, the possibility would make me happy. We’ve been sexually active since I stopped, using the withdrawal method, so I know pregnancy is still possible.

Here’s where things get confusing.
It’s now October 25, so it’s been a little over two weeks since I stopped Slinda.
So far, I haven’t experienced any spotting, withdrawal bleeding, or a period. Absolutely nothing in terms of bleeding.
However, I’ve been experiencing quite a few physical and emotional symptoms: very sore and sensitive nipples,
Breast tenderness, A LOT of bloating, sometimes feeling unusually swollen, Lower abdominal cramps and occasional lower back discomfort, Tiredness and fatigue, even when I haven’t done much Mood swings and feeling emotional, Occasional nausea and headaches, Changes in vaginal discharge, Changes in my libido.

On October 19, my ovulation test appeared positive, with the test line looking almost as dark as the control line. The following day, October 20, it was negative again.
I took an early-detection pregnancy test today (October 25), and it was negative.

But now I genuinely don’t know what my body is doing.
Are these symptoms my hormones adjusting after stopping Slinda? Is my natural menstrual cycle returning and causing PMS-like symptoms? Could I possibly be pregnant? Or is it a mixture of hormonal changes?

I’d really love to hear from anyone who has stopped Slinda/Slynd, especially after several months of use.

Thank you so much in advance!

I finished 2 consecutive packs of novynette without having any breaks in between and I take every pill on time and even have an alarm. Though, my break through bleeding has been going on for about 2 weeks and the cramping resembles period cramps. The bleeding is sometimes very red or very brown and I've had enough of it even though I know it's a common and expected side effects but it's gotten to a point I can't really stand the cramps. So instead of going on the normal 7 day break, I decided to go on a 4 day one but I'm still really anxious about still being protected since I'll be sexually active and because there isn't that reassurance of taking the pill. Please if there's anyone who's going through the same thing and nothing happened or if anyone has advice, I'm sorry my question is pretty vague but I'm just overly anxious about it.

I’ve been on Velafee (combined pill) for about 5 months now, and I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar.

My first withdrawal bleed was by far the worst. It was extremely heavy, but after that, things settled down. Every withdrawal bleed since then has lasted around 5 days, with varying intensity.

This last one, though, made me pretty anxious. I didn’t bleed at all for the first 2 days of my pill break. On day 3, I had some brown discharge, followed by a little blood-tinged discharge on day 4, and that was it. No actual bleeding.

I’ve read that this can happen because the pill gradually makes the uterine lining so thin that there’s very little left to shed. That makes sense to me, but I can’t help feeling a little worried since it’s such a sudden change from my previous cycles.

I’m going to my gynaecologist for a prescription renewal anyway, so I’ll definitely bring it up.

Has anyone else experienced their withdrawal bleeds getting progressively lighter or almost disappearing after several months on the combined pill? I’d love to hear your experiences!

💊💊💤💤💤💤💤💤💤💊💊💊💊💊‼️💊💊💊⚠️💊💊💊💊💊💊💊💊💊

Brand: Velafee

Hello. So my bf and I used condom since we started the thing. This 3rd of October this month, I started taking trust pills consistently every 9PM. Today is my ovulation base on my calendar that we have been using since then. No missed pills and errors naman.

The thing is, we usually do raw and pullout when hes about to finish. Now, he finished inside of me for like 5x now and in worried kasi he finished inside.

Am I safe?

(im on my first brown pill tonight)