Pregnancy vs Birth control side effects

**TrinketsCollector** · 11-30-2010 08:20 AM

Hello everyone,

Ive spent the last couple days searching google to hopefully give me some kind of insight, but theres not a lot out there that I can find.

Long story short, Im on birth control to completely stop my period for other health reasons. Recently I discovered my pills were causing some severe mood disruptions and my dr put me on another kind about 2-3 weeks ago.

For the last 2 weeks I have been so insanely tired and am getting horrible headaches, Im bloated like crazy and getting pain that feels pretty similar to period cramps. Since Ive been on the pill I havent had any of these pms symptoms because I havent had a period. Someone mentioned to me it sounds like I could be pregnant & its gotten me a little worried.

I havent taken a test yet because Ive been trying to figure out when Id be able to, considering I cant use my period as a marker. I also have a drs appointment but it takes a few weeks to get in to see him.

What Im wondering is if anyone has had any experience feeling these same symptoms while on birth control, or switching kinds.. Im hoping its just because of that. Ive also tried to figure out when I can take a test to get accurate results but everywhere I read has different time lines of conception and implantation and how long you have to wait. Unless Ive been pregnant for a couple months now and had no idea, the best I can figure is it would have happened sometime this month... but if it did, is it even possible to start feeling symptoms, as slight as they may be, this early on?

**ItsASecret** · 11-30-2010 08:35 AM

It can take awhile to find a type of pill that works well for your body without having any PMS-like symptoms, or any symptoms at all. That is all it seems to be in your case, the first pill did not work and now the second brand is also not suiting you so well. Simply going in to see your doctor for a new brand is likely the best option.

If you are worried about being pregnant the time to take a pregnancy test is after you have missed or are late for a period by probably about a week or two. Taking it the day after you *should* start your period will not be an indicator of anything because every woman can have their period start a couple days early or late. If you have had regular periods the whole time then being pregnant is unlikely but you can still take a pregnancy test, they are quick can at the very least put your mind at ease.

**TrinketsCollector** · 11-30-2010 08:44 AM

Thanks, but thats the problem Im having. I do not have periods. The whole reason I am on birth control is to stop them, as per my doctor. So if I were to be pregnant, now or any other point, I cannot use a missed period as a symptom or a marker for when I should take a pregnancy test. Im just wondering generally how long from having sex would you have to wait to get an accurate read.

Btw, Ive been on half a dozen pills in the last year, none of which worked to the tune of stopping my period. But none of them gave me pms like symptoms. They actually took them away even though I continued to bleed.

**ItsASecret** · 11-30-2010 09:24 AM

The pregnancy testing the typical time is missing a period so based on that I guess you can say roughly a month, month and a half after you have sex. It takes awhile to build up the hormone the test actually tests for but since you have no real way to measure if you are missing a period then it is basically grasping at straws when you think you could be pregnant. This means you will just have to take tests at random times, because you really are going blind into the situation or wait until you can get in to see a doctor who will then write up a panel to be done for blood work so that you can really find out if you are pregnant (blood work is the only way to 100% confirm if you are pregnant or not).