[puppytech]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here! I have a question... I have made an appointment with my doctor but it's not for a couple more weeks.

I am 20 years old. I used to have perfectly regular periods. Every 28-29 days. They would be painless for the most part, and very heavy. I became sexually active with my boyfriend when I was 16. My periods remained regular until...

In September of 2007, I had to take the Morning After Pill after making a bad choice and trusting my boyfriend to pull out. Bad idea... never did that again... but I was ovulating. My boyfriend made me take Plan B.

I took both pills, 12 hours apart as instructed. I was very sick for the next three days. I spotted for a few days a week later. Then, no period for months. Occasional spotting. During these months I was very sick... queasy all day, always under the weather. My periods started up again about 4 or 5 months after taking the pill, but they were all out of whack.

They ranged from 26 days to 45 days apart with severe pelvic pain. The first day is always extremely painful but with hardly any blood and no clots. Aspirin doesn't even help at all. I get shooting pains throughout the month in my pelvic area. I have problems with bowel movements during my cycle. I spend the first day of each period curled in a fetal position in tears. I thought I may have endometriosis, but then I realized that all of this started when I took the morning after pill... TWO YEARS AGO.

I don't know how to explain any of this to my doctor without sounding ridiculous. I didn't think Plan B had any longterm side effects. Does anyone have any advice? What should I tell my doctor? I had 7 years of normal periods and then this chaos occurred.

Any advice would be wonderful! Thank you so much!

[Katsaly]

You really shouldn't think you will sound ridiculous talking to your doctor. What you are describing sounds very unusual. Plan B shouldn't have long-term side-effects if you only took it the one times. I would expect is to interrupt your regular cycle in the short-term, but two years is pretty long.

It's possible that the doctor will recommend the pill to level things out for your. Hormones are a funny thing. It's possible that taking plan B just threw your hormones out of whack and they haven't set themselves right. If you don't what to see a doctor, I recommend and active lifestyle and drinking a missive amount of water. That should help with a lot of your symptoms.

[beezee]

I've also used Plan B.. I never noticed any long term side effects (or even short term), but my period has been crazy since the first time I ever had it. Anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks apart, can last 3 days or 10, heavy or light.. completely random. Birth control never worked to level them out, either. So yes, hormones are a crazy thing. Keep in mind that it may have nothing to do at all with the morning after pill.. it could really be coincidental. (maybe not likely, but certainly possible) And as Katsaly said.. don't feel ridiculous speaking to your doctor about anything, really.. helping us with the mysteries that are our bodies is what they do!

[lenicka]

morning after pill side effects

Hi there,

I'm also new here and just wanted to share my problems to see if there is a link and whether we should blame this morning after pill.

A quick recap...

I'm 32, had my right ovary removed when I was 17 and everything seemed pretty good afterwards. I once took a morning after pill, I think I was about 22, and after that I started having mid/month brakethrough bleedings.

I tried and changed about 7 different pills, that did not work, had cameras taken in to see if there was anything that would be cousing this bleeding. Nothing.

Then I went on strong Diane 35 pill for 9 months and once I stopped, I was all good. No brakethrough bleeding and periods came on time.

Unfortunately, I had to take morning after pill again, since I wasn't on any pill and ever since then, I have this brakethrough bleeding again. I am on a pill, to see if it helps, get my period, then I'm ok for 6 days and then I bleed again until I get the next period.

Doctors dont know why it happens, my hormones seems to be in order, smear test was fine, no cysts......

I'm starting to believe that this morning after pill might have something to do with it.

Pls, let me know how u get on at the doctors.

[lovetohavefun]

hi

can plan b effect my pregnancy in the future??

[Helia]

Hi,
the same happened to me. I took the MAP almost 2 years ago. One dose of 1,5 mg of levonorgestrel. It was terrible. Less than 2 hours after taking the pill the first side effects appeared (sensibility of vulva unnaturally increased,white creamy discharge, heavy diarrhea).

After some days I started suffering from total sleep disturbance, depressions, panic attacks, mania, unsteady blood pressure, heat waves, heavy sweating, hairloss, discomfort of the gastrointestinal tract, urinating all the time, abdominal/breasts pains, weakness and dizziness. My arms/legs/genitals+nipples got numb, including a erectile dysfunction of the clitoris. Diarrhea turned into total obstipation. Since then I have problems with bowel movements.

My cycle (norm. 28 days) was shortened to 24 days. My period came too early. It bled like . Without any uterus contractions, just like my uterus was numb as well. The first half year after taking MAP I was so sick, I could not work and had to employ a help to look after my children. After 8 months my cycle went back to 27 days. After almost 2 years my period is still changed. It is too heavy and long (without uterus contractions)with 3-4 days spotting at he beginning and end. The first days are extremely painful but with hardly any blood. Because of the heavy and long bleedings I suffer from severe anemia. I also get shooting pains throughout the month in my pelvic area.The numbness got a little better, but still I have no normal sensibility (especially at my vulva and clitoris) and a sexual dysfunction. It is driving me crazy. I want my "old" body and life back.

What can I do? Would going on a birth control pill for a while help my symptoms? Somebody has experience?

[thomor30]

Long-term side effects of Plan B

I took Plan B in September 2010 and experienced immediate side effects (HUGE and immediate weight gain, edema, depression, weepiness, headaches, delayed period [10 days], unusually painful menstruation), but fortunately didn't get pregnant.

It's now July 2011 and I believe that I am still experiencing side effects. The side effect that concerns me the most is the instability of my menstrual cycle. My menstrual cycle, which has been 28-29 days for 10 years or so, has swung from 23 days in one month, to 39 in the next, and then to 24 in the next month. There seems to be no sign of it evening out. Also, I've never experienced cramps or back pain as a PMS symptom IN MY LIFE, and now I do.

I can't be sure about whether to attribute this to Plan B, but I still experience unusual problems with edema. Also, another one that I can't attribute to Plan B with certainty is my mood/temperament -- not depressed, but my general temperament/energy level never seemed to come back after taking Plan B.

I really regret having had to take Plan B. It's side effects were miserable, but better than being pregnant.

[hypochondriac]

Hi,
I made an account to respond to this thread. I took "next choice" around 5/3/11 a few days after my period. i started a VERY long period about a week after that (but no other symptoms). during that period, i had sex again (stupid) and the condom broke. I figured i was okay to not flash my body again with more hormones since the incident occurred during this fake period so i didnt take next choice again. (im concerned that what im about to explain is due to pregnancy and not the pill but i will find out in the next few days from ablood test if im pregnant....im probably not pregnant due to my lack of symptoms and numerous negative urine tests + negative vaginal ultrasound exam about 4 weeks after sex).

Anyway....ive had 2 periods since i took that pill that have occured about 28 days after the first day of that "fake" period. now these periods have been a little weird in the length and texture. They are more pink, with brown discharge. they are shorter. I still get cramps from them. right now im in the midst of the 2nd period and its not 100% normal and is as i described earlier. this will be my first day.

Normally, my periods are very red with a lot of very dark red chunks. now its just more pale.

I think that the next choice pill has messed up my cycle with that 12 day long period that i had in may. or it could be that im pregnant...-_-

So far the post-pill periods are timely but they dont even have the same smell, look, texture, and length. odd right?

there is not much information on the internet. everything is so vague and no one really knows anything which is very very frustrating.

[astoria]

My Thoughts

Reading this thread made me feel not so alone in my experience.

I have had to take the morning after pill 3 times now. All three times the condom broke with my same partner. We make crazy love, and these things happen. I'm not on birth control because I hate taking medication. I guess this is the price I have to pay...

The first time was in 2008. I took a two step pill, and gained 15 pounds within weeks. My periods after that were irregular for months.

Later in 2008, it happened again...maybe 4 or 5 months later. I had no other choice, so I took it again. Around that time I decided to get myself into physical shape. I knew I'd most likely gain even more weight and had no idea what it would do to my periods.

I began a healty diet and excercise plan. Lost all the previous weight I gained & then some. Was in the best shape in my life. And my periods after about 4 or 5 months were back to normal.

Flash forward 3 years. It's 2011 and I had to take the morning after pill 2 weeks ago. I haven't been on a diet and exercise plan since I lost all the weight (so, about 2 years now), and I'm immediately feeling the side effects. Weight gain, bloatedness, diarehhea....I want to cry when the dumbest commercials come on...I expected it. I haven't had a period yet, since the incident happened a week or so after my period, so I'm not sure what's going to happen there. But I know the first time it left me physically and mentally out of wack for months.

So what's my suggestion here? Probably when taking this you should take extra care of your body. I'm going to start my diet and exercise routine back up and let you know if that helps. That's really the only conclusive evidence I have from my experience. But we're not alone. This sucks.

-Astoria

[astoria]

Hi,
I made an account to respond to this thread. I took "next choice" around 5/3/11 a few days after my period. i started a VERY long period about a week after that (but no other symptoms). during that period, i had sex again (stupid) and the condom broke. I figured i was okay to not flash my body again with more hormones since the incident occurred during this fake period so i didnt take next choice again. (im concerned that what im about to explain is due to pregnancy and not the pill but i will find out in the next few days from ablood test if im pregnant....im probably not pregnant due to my lack of symptoms and numerous negative urine tests + negative vaginal ultrasound exam about 4 weeks after sex).

Anyway....ive had 2 periods since i took that pill that have occured about 28 days after the first day of that "fake" period. now these periods have been a little weird in the length and texture. They are more pink, with brown discharge. they are shorter. I still get cramps from them. right now im in the midst of the 2nd period and its not 100% normal and is as i described earlier. this will be my first day.

Normally, my periods are very red with a lot of very dark red chunks. now its just more pale.

I think that the next choice pill has messed up my cycle with that 12 day long period that i had in may. or it could be that im pregnant...-_-

So far the post-pill periods are timely but they dont even have the same smell, look, texture, and length. odd right?

there is not much information on the internet. everything is so vague and no one really knows anything which is very very frustrating.

Not strange, same thing happened to me. For several months my period was lighter, not as thick...almost like it was watery blood.