The morning-after pill is actually an emergency birth control pill that you may have to take to prevent pregnancy if you've had unprotected sex. These pills usually contain ulipristal (Ella), but they may also have levonorgestrel (Next Choice, Plan B One-Step). Several brands of these pills are now available. These pills are generally safe, but sometimes, you notice bleeding after morning-after pill, which may be due to many different reasons. Let's find out more about it.
Is It Normal to Experience Bleeding After Morning After Pill?
In most cases, you don't have to worry about bleeding after morning after pill. It can happen with all emergency contraceptive pills, and that's mainly because these pills contain progestin or estrogen as well. If you're bleeding because of the hormones in the pills, there is no reason to worry about it at all. The issue will resolve after you get your next period.
It is however important to understand that unusual bleeding may well be a sign of something more serious in nature. You should look for other symptoms as well, such as dizziness or abdominal pain, and consult your healthcare provider for advice. You should also go see your doctor if the bleeding doesn't go away by itself in a few days or actually gets heavier with time. This could happen due to a miscarriage, or an ectopic pregnancy, which is a complication of pregnancy in which an embryo doesn't implant in the uterus.
It is worth mentioning that after you take an emergency contraceptive pill, your next period should come within the next month. It should be on time, but it is okay to have it a week after or before you'd normally expect it. You may want to get a pregnancy test if your period doesn't come even after a week of your regular period date.
More Notes on Morning After Pill Side Effects
It is true that emergency contraceptive pills usually don't have any long-term side effects, but morning after pill spotting is quite a common issue.Pills that contain both progestin and estrogen tend to have more side effects.
It is common for women to feel queasy after taking emergency contraceptive pills. You may even feel tired or have lower abdominal pain. You might also find your breasts feeling more tender than usual. You may even notice a slight change in the timing of your next period. All these side effects, including bleeding after morning after pill, should go away in a couple of days or so.
It is a good idea to consult your healthcare provider before you take a contraceptive pill, especially if you have a history of side effects when using such medication. Your healthcare provider will give you additional medicine to help limit the side effects.
Follow Directions to Avoid Side Effect
To avoid spotting after morning after pill, you should also ensure that you're following directions properly. You are going to experience certain side effects if you don't follow the instructions given for the use of morning-after EC pills. For instance, it is important to take one Next Choice pill within 72 hours of having unprotected sex. Remember, the sooner the better. You should take the second pill 12 hours later.
The instructions are usually the same with Plan B One-Step as well because they are progestin-only pills. However, you need take Ella pill as soon as possible and no later than 120 hours of having unprotected sex.
Throwing up is a common side effect with contraceptive pills, but if you vomit in two hours of taking your first morning-after pill, it is a good idea to discuss it with your healthcare provider to determine if you should repeat the dose or not.
It is important to point out that though morning-after pills are quite effective, they don't provide lasting protection from pregnancy. You may even get pregnant if you have sex after a few days or weeks of taking emergency contraceptive pills. It is therefore a good idea to avoid having sex until you start using another method to prevent pregnancy.
Listed below is the time and dosage information for the three forms of morning after pills from drugs.com.
