Months of continuous bleeding after emergency contraceptive pill

**SimranS** · 01-29-2012 01:54 PM

Hi, I’m a 28-year-old married woman and took the emergency contraceptive pill on June 16, 2011. Never used any type of hormonal contraceptive prior to this. Menstrual history: irregular length cycles (18-32 days), heavy periods lasting 5-6 days. Have been experiencing long periods of irregular painless bleeding ever since taking the emergency contraceptive pill in June. Never had a normal period since then. As of today, January 30 2012 (7 ½ months after taking the pill), I have been bleeding every day for the past 110 days straight. Bleeding is anywhere from light spotting to very heavy bleeding with large clots, but is usually moderate. I would like to know if there are any other women who have experienced something similar long after the emergency contraceptive pill (7 + months), and if so how long did it take to return to having normal cycles?

**ItsASecret** · 01-29-2012 02:02 PM

Bleeding everyday is an issue you should definitely talk to your doctor about, that amount of time is not normal. Being irregular even prior to taking the morning after pill though should be looked at by a doctor. This irregularity occurs because of hormonal imbalances and a doctor can discuss your options to regulate your cycles.

The morning after pill will entirely mess up a woman's cycle. The mass dose of hormones in that pill is supposed to cause the body to react in such a harsh way. It can take months before your body realigns itself. This is why it is never ever recommended to repeatedly take morning after pills. In your case you only had to once which is fine, but keep other methods of birth control in mind in the future so that you do not have to take the emergency contraceptive pill unless you absolutely must. It is just a huge inconvenience otherwise.

**SimranS** · 02-07-2012 10:50 AM

Originally Posted by ItsASecret

Bleeding everyday is an issue you should definitely talk to your doctor about, that amount of time is not normal. Being irregular even prior to taking the morning after pill though should be looked at by a doctor. This irregularity occurs because of hormonal imbalances and a doctor can discuss your options to regulate your cycles.

The morning after pill will entirely mess up a woman's cycle. The mass dose of hormones in that pill is supposed to cause the body to react in such a harsh way. It can take months before your body realigns itself. This is why it is never ever recommended to repeatedly take morning after pills. In your case you only had to once which is fine, but keep other methods of birth control in mind in the future so that you do not have to take the emergency contraceptive pill unless you absolutely must. It is just a huge inconvenience otherwise.

Thanks very much for your reply. I've had blood tests and an ultrasound done and both were normal except for heightened estrogen levels (pre-ovulation levels) and a thickened uterine lining (as expected right before menstruation). I'm still experiencing the bleeding which is the result of the hormonal imbalance caused by the pill. I haven't begun any treatment for this because doctors where I live aren't very professional- they like to prescribe a lot of unnecessary medication and can't just say "it's best to let your body realign on its own" even if that's the truth. If anyone has any other insight it would be greatly appreciated.

**lizzardb63** · 02-28-2012 10:05 AM

Well, since you said your periods were irregular to begin with, you might find it helpful to get on a hormonal birth control. That will regulate your cycle to a 28 day cycle and make your periods predictable.