Mini Pill bleeding weeks at a time? help? (8 months)

[hwilliams260]

I've been on cerezette/cerelle for around 8 months now. My periods have always been irregular even before I came on the minipill. However, ever since going on it I'll have no period for say a 30-40 days and then i'll end up having light bleeding for 3 weeks. Then it might just be 2 weeks and then more light bleeding. Obviously this is very frustrating- I've booked an appointment to change my contraception to the implant that goes in your arm but I'm worried I'll have the same problem if not worse.

Any Advice? Should I be sticking this pill out for longer?

[Goodhandn]

I would make sure you do not have a STI as this can also cause bleeding. If that is ok then look at your contraception. If you can manage a 3 hour window to remember to take your pill try a different type. Depo ( injection) would give you better bleeding control than the implant but it is easy to remove the implant if you are still bleeding. You can also take cerazette on top of the implant initially to see. You can get your levels high enough to thin the lining of the womb so you don't bleed.

[CharlieJoe]

Hi, This is extremely common with the progesterone only pill. The window you have to take it each day is also 12 hours with cerezette.

I'm guessing there are medical reasons why you can't take the combined pill (which gives better period control), like a family history of DVTs and you get migraines.

It is important to rule out any other cause for the bleeding like infections but on the whole you are describing classical irregular bleeding on the pop. Your options are to switch to a combined (estrogen containing) pill if you can, if you can't then you could try another method (like the IUD or IUS "coils").

The depo injection is an option but you still risk irregular periods and it can take several months to wear off if you have problems with it. The implant is the same type and level of hormone as cerazette so probably isn't an option.

A short term solution (for a couple of months) is to take TWO cerazette pills a day to boost up the hormone and hopefully stop your irregular bleeding, and drop back down to one a day when it settled. If this doesn't control your bleeding you will need to be examined at your local clinic just as a precaution.