What does birth control do to your period

Since many women end up missing or skipping doses of birth control pills, the overall effectiveness is about 91 to 99 percent. Instead, the hormones in the pill are likely the cause. Your doctor can help you address any other factors that may be at play.

You may be able to do this in a number of ways:. Missing your period while taking birth control pills with regularity is usually no reason for alarm. Contact your doctor with your concerns or take a home pregnancy test to ease your mind. Many women find that their periods return with simple lifestyle changes. Birth control pills are incredibly effective at preventing pregnancy with perfect use.

Your doctor may be able to prescribe a pill that will work better for your body, depending on your reasons for taking it and any adverse symptoms you have. Talk to your doctor about any issues so you can work together to find the right fit. Use a backup method like condoms or dental dams to practice safer sex. From IUDs and implants to condoms and diaphragms, each contraceptive has its pros and cons. Here's how long it takes for each birth control option to….

Worried about a late period, but know you aren't pregnant? Missed or late periods can happen for plenty of other reasons. Read on to learn about them. Discover some causes of abdominal bloating and missed period, including menopause, cysts, and others.

Learn more about treatments. Spotting is lighter than a period and may indicate that you have an underlying condition. Call your doctor if you experience abnormal vaginal bleeding.

Birth control pills were originally only packaged as 28 pills — 21 pills containing the hormone s required to suppress ovulation, and 7 placebo pills no active ingredients. The 7 days of placebo were designed to allow menstruation to occur.

Today there are a variety of regimens available, such as 24 days of active-ingredient pills and 4 days of placebo, and extended-cycle regimens that can be taken for up to a year to stop all menstrual bleeding. No matter which birth control pill you are taking, you may experience irregular spotting or bleeding during the first few months of taking the birth control pill.

Spotting can also result from forgetting to take a pill, or taking it late. Taking your pill even a few hours later than normal can cause spotting, especially with the progestin-only pill. Irregular, unpredictable bleeding is very common in women using long-acting, progestin-based birth control methods e. After a year of use, about half of women will have no periods. With the copper IUD, spotting between periods and heavier, longer, and more painful periods are common in the first three to six months.

Most women find this improves over time, and normal or near-normal periods resume after a few months. With a progestin IUD, spotting between periods and irregular periods are common in the first three to six months. Usually this improves over time and many women ultimately have light or absent periods with the progestin IUD.

The progestin IUD can be effective for many years a new one is reinserted after 5 years. A smaller mini-IUD is also available, and may be preferable for women who have not had a child. This was the one feature of combined oral contraceptives birth control pills that scientists let remain unchanged over the decades. That said, you will probably have unpredictable bleeding patterns during the first few months of taking any birth control method. The National Institutes of Health says that irregular bleeding can happen when you take hormonal birth control like birth control pills or IUDs.

You may have your period on birth control during active pills the time when, technically, you shouldn't be bleeding. You may have spotting, also called breakthrough bleeding, during the first few months. Doctors say this is the most common symptom when taking any brand. You may have a missed period on birth control. But that doesn't automatically mean your pregnant.

This unpredictability is usually not forever. As your body adjusts to birth control pills, you'll probably just have bleeding during the regularly scheduled programming oops, during the placebo week when you take those "sugar pills" that have no hormones in them.

But if you're unsure, it's always a good idea to check with your health care provider about it. But get this. It's not medically necessary for you to have this scheduled week of bleeding.

We'll explain more later. Most certainly, you can get your period, or what may seem like your period, when you're not supposed to get it.

Unscheduled bleeding that just shows up is one of the main reasons women stop using a birth control method. But before you decide to give up, know that unpredictable bleeding or spotting usually gets better in a few months, depending on the method. Talk to your doctor about what can help and how to address the problem if it gets too bothersome. News flash: Your period on birth control is not "real. It's all the pill's fault, actually, but no worries - your body will adjust and become friends soon.

Here's the science behind how this all happens:. Your period during a natural menstrual cycle sans the pill happens because your uterus is shedding its inner lining.

The body's natural process is to have your uterine lining become thicker in anticipation of fertilizing the egg think grandparents who are hoping for grandkids. When it finds out no fertilization is happening, it sheds that lining. No baby is coming to protect and nurture in there, after all! The unfertilized egg, along with blood and tissue, passes through the vagina and inevitably shows up on your tampons and pads.

This whole process is controlled by the rise and fall of your body's hormone levels, specifically estrogen and progesterone. The pill delivers synthetic hormones estrogen and progestin to your body. It tells your system don't even bother releasing an egg this month a process called ovulation. Ovulation is when a mature egg, good and ready to match with a suitable sperm, is released from the ovaries. By preventing ovulation, the pill helps to prevent pregnancy before you end up with a fertilized egg.

It also does some other things to make the possibility of pregnancy even more unlikely, like thickening your cervical mucus, making it harder for those pesky sperm to get into your uterus. Your period on birth control is kind of fake. It's called a "withdrawal period," not because your body is shedding the uterine lining but because your body is going through hormone withdrawal.

Essentially, the lab-derived hormones that the pill delivers are there to call the shots, and when you take the placebo pills, the active hormones start to exit the premises. The change in hormone levels triggers your body to build up or shed that lining, which results in bleeding or spotting. Your period on birth control is a withdrawal period meant to mimic your natural one. It is not biologically necessary. For sure, you can miss your period on birth control. Global health experts say that different types of menstrual changes , including the absence of a period, are expected when you're on birth control.

It is common to miss your period while using a hormonal birth control method. Doctors say that when you use hormonal contraception unless you have concerning symptoms, you should not assume that the absence of bleeding by itself is a sign of pregnancy. But if you're worried, you should ask your doctor about it. So the pill was designed so you'd get your period during the time you take the placebo or "sugar" pills, also called inactive pills. Healthy Lifestyle Birth control.

Products and services. Birth control pill FAQ: Benefits, risks and choices Get the facts on common concerns and questions about birth control pills. By Mayo Clinic Staff. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information. Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again. Show references Combined hormonal birth control: Pill, patch, and ring.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Accessed March 31, Birth control. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed April 1, FAQs for teens: Birth control.

Practice Bulletin No. Reaffirmed Oral contraceptives and cancer risk. National Cancer Institute. Birth control methods. Office on Women's Health. Gallo MF, et al. Combination contraceptives: Effects on weight. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Del Pup L, et al. Breast cancer risk of hormonal contraception: Counseling considering new evidence.

Hatcher RA, et al. Combined oral contraceptives COCs. In: Contraceptive Technology. Ayer Company Publishers; Roe A, et al. Combined estrogen-progestin contraception: Side effects and health concerns. Accessed April 2, Allen RH. Combined estrogen-progestin contraceptives: Patient selection, counseling, and use. Pregnancy tests. Marnach ML expert opinion. Mayo Clinic. April 19,