Common "Spotting On Birth Control" queries answered by top doctors | iCliniq

Spotting On Birth Control

Spotting is common during the first six months of taking birth control pills, as the body tries to adjust to the new levels of hormones. The other reasons for spotting on birth control are missing a pill, vomiting immediately after taking a pill, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections.

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I am on birth control, why do I have cramps and brown discharge?

Query: Hello doctor, I recently started taking the combination pill. I started the pill about a week before I was due to have my regular period. I had the pills regularly for eight days before I had unprotected sex. I took the pills at the same time every day with no issues and I am now two pills away from...  Read Full »


Dr. Balakrishnan R

Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I see that you have not been properly advised about taking the pill. Let me try to explain. Your body produces hormones cyclically with lots of ups and downs, and only then will you ovulate. These combined pills are the same hormones as what the body produces, but ...  Read Full »

Can I be pregnant while on birth control pills?

Query: Hello doctor, I have been on birth control for quite a while now. From yesterday, I started spotting and had the worst cramps I have ever had. Today, I continued with the spotting and cramps, and I started throwing up everything I ate. Is it possible that I could be pregnant?  Read Full »


Dr. Sabita Laskar

Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. I presume the birth control that you mentioned is about oral contraceptives pills. Sometimes, it is not uncommon to have spotting while you are on pills, especially if you miss a few of your pills and start taking the rest again. At times, it is possible to have some br...  Read Full »

I am spotting despite taking Nexplanon. Why?

Query: Hello doctor, I am 19 years old. I had sex four months before and ovulated on the second day after having sex. I got periods on the next month for four days, and after five days of my periods I got a Nexplanon birth control, and the doctor gave me a negative pregnancy test. I then had a period of 14...  Read Full »


Dr. Nadia Khan

Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. No, you are not pregnant as your pregnancy test was negative at the time you got Nexplanon implant, and you did not have had sex afterward. So calm down now and give relief to yourself. Your periods have reduced due to the effect of Nexplanon as it is a contraceptive...  Read Full »

I am experiencing spot bleeding with contraceptives. Please advise.

Query: Hello doctor,I have an Etonogestrel implant, and I am also taking the pill. Initially, I started taking the pill to reduce breakthrough bleeding, but later I continued it for acne management. The previous pill I used caused three weeks of continuous bleeding, so I consulted my doctor, who then presc...  Read Full »


Dr. Vandana Andrews

Answer: Hello,Welcome to icliniq.com.Spot bleeding, also known as breakthrough bleeding, is a common side effect of hormonal contraception, including the pill and the Etonogestrel implant. While it can be frustrating, it is generally not a cause for concern. Here are a few things you can try to help stop sp...  Read Full »

Why did I experience spotting after emergency contraceptive?

Query: Hello doctor, I have been sexually active for the past four months. We initially did not use protection, in order to avoid pregnancy I have used emergency contraceptive pills for a few times now. My periods got delayed by a day or two but with no major changes in the cycle. Last month I found spotti...  Read Full »


Dr. Sanjay Kumar Bhattacharyya

Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. First of all, this is not acceptable if you take I-pill frequently. As these pills are of high hormonal content, it can mess up your internal hormonal balance. So, you may have these types of few abnormal bleeding for the following few weeks. Now, the intermenstrual bl...  Read Full »

Can spotting be a side effect of emergency contraception?

Query: Hello doctor, Me and my wife had sex on 12th January and she took ipill on 13th January. She had her periods on 21st January. We again had sex on 25th January and 10th February with protection (condoms). On the 10th evening some spotting started and it stopped on 17th February. The spotting was dark...  Read Full »


Dr. Sameer Kumar

Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. The bleeding due to menses on 21st January after ipill confirmatively rules out pregnancy which could have occurred due to sex on 13th January. The repeat sexual intercourse held on 25th January (she was in her safe period and hence pregnancy is unlikely) and then ...  Read Full »

Why do I have unusual spotting with NuvaRing?

Query: Hi doctor, Last month, I had an unusual spotting during the time I was using Nuvaring. That never happened before. So, I decided to take the ring off, but during that time, it was menstruation. I never had a normal flux, just spotting all the time. At first, kind of brown and after, redder and then ...  Read Full »


Dr. Uzma Arqam

Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. Nuvaring is Etonogestrel and Ethinyl estradiol containing contraceptive. Hormones have its own side effects and appear a bit differently in every individual female. Combined contraceptives have short-term effects like abnormal bleeding, spotting, mood variations, bre...  Read Full »

How To Delay Periods Without Any Side Effects?

Query: Hi doctor, I am 22 year old female, and I am getting married this month, and I am going for my honeymoon. So, I want to delay my periods without any side effect. I am still a virgin, so I do not want to ruin my honeymoon. So, please suggest the best medicine. When to start taking it, in what dose, a...  Read Full »


Dr. Balakrishnan R

Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. Let me start by congratulating you in advance for your wedding. There are many methods, all using hormones, to either prepone or postpone the period. I would like to suggest the simplest and the best method. I would not confuse you with too many dates, as these hormone...  Read Full »

Why is birth control vaginal ring spotting post-intercourse?

Query: Hello doctor, I have been on birth control vaginal ring for the past five years. I had no problems with it until this morning. I was intimate with my partner (penetration with fingers) and had an orgasm. We then noticed that I had a bleed. It was light spotting and looked like a little period. It ha...  Read Full »


Dr. Uzma Arqam

Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. Your complaint is about post-intercourse spotting with birth control vaginal ring and then period-like pain, so you are asking about the possibility of injury. Birth control vaginal ring is a polymeric drug delivery device designed to produce two hormones, etonogest...  Read Full »

I have been taking birth control for about a year. Please help.

Query: Hi doctor, I have been on birth control pills for about a year and a half, but I have been spotting straight for the past three months. I am concerned. Please help me, doctor. Thank you.  Read Full »


Dr. Monica Mathur

Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. I can understand your concern. As you have been on birth control pills for more than a year, the cause of your spotting seems to be due to either a cervical inflammation or a pelvic inflammatory disease. You have not mentioned whether you have any other problems like p...  Read Full »

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