Hi tenille,
Well, brown discharge and blood is actually a good sign that you are not pregnant! There is something called "implantation bleeding", but most women do not even notice this (and would occur around the time of your expected period, which sounds like it is still more than a week away). Implantation bleeding is more of a spot that you would notice when you wiped or on your underwear; it would not be a discharge or even a little bit of blood. You will need to wait until your expected "period" to know if you are pregnant or not (you can take a home pregnancy test at that time).
What you are most likely experiencing is some "breakthrough bleeding" from taking three pills in one day (yikes! you're right...that's not the best way to make-up your missed pills...I'll explain how below).
Anytime you miss pills, you do increase your chance of pregnancy. Good for you (& your boyfriend) for using a condom! Condoms rarely break unless there is a "user error", so just want to make sure for next time that you use plenty of lubrication (such as Astroglide or KY jelly) and make sure there is a little room left at the tip of the condom for the semen.
If your unprotected sex was less than 120 hours ago, you can take emergency contraception (Plan B) without a prescription to decrease your chances of pregnancy, available at most pharmacies if you are above the age of 17 (call beforehand).
When are you expecting your next "period"? (or, "withdrawal bleeding"?). In other words, when do you take the "sugar" pills (the week of pills that do not contain hormones)?
Some additional information for you:
When you are using hormonal contraceptives (the pill), you do not actually ovulate. The pill works in three ways: preventing ovulation, creating an "unwelcome environment" in the uterus (in case an egg was released, it would not be able to implant itself), and create an "unwelcome environment" at your cervix by changing the cervical mucus (so that the sperm would have a difficult time entering your cervix). Women can become pregnant when missing pills because the sudden stopping of synthetic hormones from the pills will trigger your body to begin its natural process of producing enough of its own hormones to begin the ovulation-menstruation process. While you are taking the pill, the ovulation-menstruation process is prevented from occurring.
Last note, about taking your pills: If you miss 1, 2 or 3 pills, please be sure to read your instructions with your prescription! (Keep at least one copy of them, or, let us know what brand/type of pill you use, and I can locate the patient information brochure online for you).
If you miss 2 pills in-a-row:
Monday: oops, forgot pill
Tuesday: oops, forgot pill
Wednesday: take Wednesday's pill and Monday's pill
Thursday: take Thursday's pill and Tuesday's pill.
If you miss 3 pills in-a-row, it depends what week you missed and what your specific prescription says to do. Many of them say to throw away the pack and begin a new pack on a specified day (your "start date"), and back-up protection must be used for the following 7 days.
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Hi tenille,
Well, brown discharge and blood is actually a good sign that you are not pregnant! There is something called "implantation bleeding", but most women do not even notice this (and would occur around the time of your expected period, which sounds like it is still more than a week away). Implantation bleeding is more of a spot that you would notice when you wiped or on your underwear; it would not be a discharge or even a little bit of blood. You will need to wait until your expected "period" to know if you are pregnant or not (you can take a home pregnancy test at that time).
What you are most likely experiencing is some "breakthrough bleeding" from taking three pills in one day (yikes! you're right...that's not the best way to make-up your missed pills...I'll explain how below).
Anytime you miss pills, you do increase your chance of pregnancy. Good for you (& your boyfriend) for using a condom! Condoms rarely break unless there is a "user error", so just want to make sure for next time that you use plenty of lubrication (such as Astroglide or KY jelly) and make sure there is a little room left at the tip of the condom for the semen.
If your unprotected sex was less than 120 hours ago, you can take emergency contraception (Plan B) without a prescription to decrease your chances of pregnancy, available at most pharmacies if you are above the age of 17 (call beforehand).
When are you expecting your next "period"? (or, "withdrawal bleeding"?). In other words, when do you take the "sugar" pills (the week of pills that do not contain hormones)?
Some additional information for you:
When you are using hormonal contraceptives (the pill), you do not actually ovulate. The pill works in three ways: preventing ovulation, creating an "unwelcome environment" in the uterus (in case an egg was released, it would not be able to implant itself), and create an "unwelcome environment" at your cervix by changing the cervical mucus (so that the sperm would have a difficult time entering your cervix). Women can become pregnant when missing pills because the sudden stopping of synthetic hormones from the pills will trigger your body to begin its natural process of producing enough of its own hormones to begin the ovulation-menstruation process. While you are taking the pill, the ovulation-menstruation process is prevented from occurring.
Last note, about taking your pills: If you miss 1, 2 or 3 pills, please be sure to read your instructions with your prescription! (Keep at least one copy of them, or, let us know what brand/type of pill you use, and I can locate the patient information brochure online for you).
If you miss 2 pills in-a-row:
Monday: oops, forgot pill
Tuesday: oops, forgot pill
Wednesday: take Wednesday's pill and Monday's pill
Thursday: take Thursday's pill and Tuesday's pill.
If you miss 3 pills in-a-row, it depends what week you missed and what your specific prescription says to do. Many of them say to throw away the pack and begin a new pack on a specified day (your "start date"), and back-up protection must be used for the following 7 days.
I hope this information helps!
November 29, 2009 - 4:06pmThis Comment
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