Back to Back Pill but Still Have a Period

[EternalSunshine87]

I take Microgynon back to back for the whole pack and then take a break for 4-7 days before restarting again. I've doing this for a little while and it's really helped with managing pain and keeping me at work for longer. However, this time, I've almost got a full blown period happening. I've had spotting in the past where it sort of tried to start, but nothing really came of it, but I'm getting cramping and almost a proper period. I'm not going to finish my tricycle for another couple of weeks. Anyone experience this before?

[bluebug]

Taking the pill back to back means taking it without a break between packets.

You are suppose to take the combined pill daily until you finished the packet then have a break of 7 days otherwise you are likely to get pregnant if you are sexually active. (Some combined pills but not Microgynon have dummy pills to cover those 7 days.) It was specifically designed with the break so women thought they were having a period. You aren't having a period but a bleed due to your hormone levels dropping when you stop taking the pills.

Go to your doctors or whoever prescribed the pill for you and ask them if you can take pill packets without a break in between them. There are pros and cons to doing this, which is why you want to be monitored.

[EternalSunshine87 in reply to bluebug]

Hi, thanks for responding. I meant back to back as I finish the whole box, so instead of taking a 7 day break after 3 weeks and have a period, I take the whole box back to back and have a period every 9 weeks. Sorry if I was unclear. When I was seeing my endo specialist, they advised I do this as I was really struggling when I was on my period. When I went back to talk to my nurse about the pill, she said I didn't even need to wait 7 days, but could start taking it again after 4 and yes I'm on microgynon, so no dummy pills. This is what she advised when I asked about just continually taking it with no breaks whatsoever. What you're saying makes sense and it's what I thought, just a bleed in between. Thanks again for taking the time to respond.

[bluebug in reply to EternalSunshine87]

You will need to see a doctor about this not a nurse, but you can get more specific advice about decreasing the break.

[Grace89]

hi, let me explain my experience on this pill.

I take this pill and have done for around 8-10 years (can’t remember when exactly). I have endo and celiac disease and have taken it back to back the whole time I’ve been on it, so literally haven’t had a period for years and years. (I took other pills before this one too, from a teenager). I do have to have the tablet at around the same time each day (this is what your meant to do, however I do sometimes forget) if I don’t I get pain and cramping and I’ve had the very start of a period (brown discharge for me) when I haven’t (travel can make this harder). I haven’t had an actual period in this time. But I have had fibroids (or what I think must be fibroids). I always used to have very low blood pressure, but recently my blood pressure (bottom number) has become very high. I think I must have high oestrogen levels as this can cause fibroids, only had fibroids since the first lockdown. (Probably around 3, if that’s what they are).

I say all this to say your hormones sound like they are going up and down. (Sorry if that’s obvious) Mine appear to get out of whack if I’m out on my pill just a few hours. I want children in the next few years (33) and I dread to know what’s going to happen when I come off the pill. Basically my periods were so bad I used to throw up my stomach acid. I had stomach aches that used to make me scream in pain. And the blood, don't get me started on the blood. Anyway this is why as a teenager I got diagnosed with endo as my symptoms were extreme. People used to want to take me to hospital for my screaming but I just used to say it’s just my period I’m not ill (how ridiculous, this is what I used to say as a teenager, as I got older I realised that this really is not normal).

Microgynon has really helped me, although I am wondering now if I’ve been on it too long.

Not sure if this info is at all helpful, just my experience of being on Microgynon for years.