Missed 10 Birth Control Pills, Pregnant?
QUESTION
Dear Midwife,
During the time when I was most fertile my husband and I had sex twice, 5 days before ovulation and the day before ovulation. On the day I was suppose to ovulate I had what I think was my period. It lasted the same length as normal which is about 3-4 days and I bleed the same amount but the color was lighter.
Could I possibly be pregnant since I missed about 10 pills or was it because I missed my pills that I had my period 2 weeks early?
ANSWER
I'm not sure exactly which pills you missed from what you say, but generally, you will have a bleed within the first week after you stop taking pills.
It definitely sounds like this is not the method for you to prevent a pregnancy. It also sounds like it is high time to take a pregnancy test, just to be sure. But I'm thinking that your symptoms are because your hormones are confused, and trying to re-adjust. It would be best to go in and be seen to get all this sorted out. Good luck!
-- Cynthia, CNM
Cynthia Flynn
Cynthia Flynn, CNM. PhD, is the General Director of the Family Health and Birth Center which provides prenatal, birth, postnatal, gynecological and primary health care to underserved women and their families in Washington, D.C. Recently Cynthia served as Associate Professor of Nursing at Seattle University. There she not only taught, but remained in full scope clinical midwifery practice at Valley Medical Center where she cared for pregnant and birthing women, and practices well-woman gynecology, family planning, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.
Cynthia founded Columbia Women's Clinic and Birth Center, where she took care of pregnant women and infants up to two weeks of age and attended both birth center and hospital births. Before Cynthia earned her CNM, she worked as a registered nurse in labor and delivery and postpartum and is a certified Doula and Doula trainer.
