Should I Continue My Pills?
QUESTION
Dear Midwife,
Hello! I was without my birth control pills for two weeks due to confusion with my doctor's office and pharmacy. One week of this was my period. I took one pill after receiving them and a few hours later, my husband and I had sex. We have had sex several times since then. This was a little over one week ago, and I have started a very light period for 3 days even though I have been taking my birth control pills. Now I have a brownish color. What could this be?
ANSWER
It sounds like you were not given good information about how to re-start your pills, and now your system is really confused. I'd suggest continuing the pills for this cycle, and then getting back on track next cycle. You should be using condoms this cycle. If you don't have a regular period, a pregnancy test would be a good idea.
-- 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.
