Hi,
You will be happy to know that when you are using hormonal contraception (the pill), you do not actually ovulate.
It is great that you doubled-up on your pill the next day (both times), and most patient information brochures provided with your pill pack say that if you miss one pill, then double-up the next day, you do not need to use back-up protection. Please read this information with your pill pack, to verify this is true. Anytime you miss pills, they do become less effective at preventing pregnancy, but it seems that missing one, then taking it the next day, still provides enough pregnancy-protection that another method (wearing a condom) is not needed.
The birth control pill works in one of three ways (just an FYI):
1. Preventing ovulation
2. Altering cervical mucus (so that sperm have trouble getting through)
3. Altering the uterine lining (so that a fertilized egg would have difficulty implanting in the uterus)
The bleeding you experience is not from a menstrual period, either, but from withdrawal bleeding from the absence of hormones (during the hormone-free week of pills). You would not actually begin ovulating and menstruating until you stopped using the pill.
Comment Reply
Hi,
You will be happy to know that when you are using hormonal contraception (the pill), you do not actually ovulate.
It is great that you doubled-up on your pill the next day (both times), and most patient information brochures provided with your pill pack say that if you miss one pill, then double-up the next day, you do not need to use back-up protection. Please read this information with your pill pack, to verify this is true. Anytime you miss pills, they do become less effective at preventing pregnancy, but it seems that missing one, then taking it the next day, still provides enough pregnancy-protection that another method (wearing a condom) is not needed.
The birth control pill works in one of three ways (just an FYI):
1. Preventing ovulation
2. Altering cervical mucus (so that sperm have trouble getting through)
3. Altering the uterine lining (so that a fertilized egg would have difficulty implanting in the uterus)
The bleeding you experience is not from a menstrual period, either, but from withdrawal bleeding from the absence of hormones (during the hormone-free week of pills). You would not actually begin ovulating and menstruating until you stopped using the pill.
Hope this helps!
December 31, 2009 - 3:35pmThis Comment
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