spotting or period?

[chickenkatsu]

A month ago I had sex for the first time and had spotting for three days afterwards. On the third day the spotting was nearly entirely gone, but the day after the spotting came back more heavily to the point where I wondered if it was a period (which wasn't due for a few more days), although I thought it was too light to be one. I assumed it was breakthrough bleeding, but it only got heavier until two days or so before I reached the placebo pills (by which I had stopped with the pills because of horrible congestion symptoms). It did eventually become a period which still lasted over a week, and I'm having difficulty discerning when my period actually started because at the end of it I had been bleeding (period and spotting) for well over two weeks. My doctor switched my pills, but I haven't been able to make an actual appointment due to my busy schedule. Has this happened to anyone before, and how common or uncommon is it? How do you discern what's actually your period and what's just spotting?

[Sam W]

Hi chickenkatsu,

People react differently to being on the pill, and the reaction can vary from pill to pill, including irregularity in your cycle or spotting. Generally, your period is going to be accompanied by PMS symptoms that spotting may not be. If you haven't, as soon as you know you'll have a gap in your schedule, make an appointment with your healthcare provider.

Also, just to check, are you and your partner up to date on your STI testing?

[chickenkatsu]

Thank you for responding!

My boyfriend and I did sign up for STI testing before we did anything via our university's health services, but the doctor didn't want to perform any tests as we were both virgins and our parents hadn't had any STDs before or at the time of our births. We can get tested again once we head back this fall.

This was all a month ago--I don't know if this is relevant to bring up, but as of late I've had horrible insomnia and a recent case of Running Legs Syndrome. I have difficulty falling asleep until practically 5-6am, and when I do sleep I wake up frequently in the middle of the night and have nightmares. Can insomnia be a side effect of the birth control? I'll talk to a doctor when I can. Thank you!

[Karyn]

Insomnia isn't a side effect of the pill that I'm aware of, but given how serious yours is and how much it's impacting your life, it's worth checking in with a doctor about (and you can ask if it has any connection to the pill while you're there).

Per STIs, if you and your partner have never had any kind of sexual contact with anyone else, then the chances of either one of you having an STI is very low. (The exception to that is oral herpes, which the majority of people have - often from childhood - without realizing it, and which can be passed to a partner's genitals during oral sex.) Getting tested is still a good habit to get into, though, and if you're having trouble getting that testing through university health services it's worth looking into sexual health clinics in your area.