I wanted to share my experience with Plan B in hopes it will calm some fears of others who were in my position.
I had protected sex, with a condom, when it slipped off while being withdrawn. This was after he ejaculated. Not being sure if any sperm had leaked out or somehow presented itself, I took action into my own hands. My partner claimed I had nothing to worry about, but I wasn't so sure. I was never one for charting my ovulation, nor was I highly aware of it, BUT the night this happened I could have been ovulating. I panicked. I did not want to have a baby, so I rushed to my local 24 hour drugstore. I picked up Plan B. It ran me $50 and it's now found on the shelf in the family planning aisle. It was Plan B one step. I took the one pill about two hours after we had had sex. Then the waiting began...
The night I took it, I felt pretty decent. Next day, nothing. It wasn't until about a week after taking Plan B, that nausea, little hot flashes, dizziness, and breast tenderness started setting in. The second week after taking Plan B, my breasts got so sore, I couldn't barely put a bra on, shower water hitting them was like daggers, it was awful! I was pretty concerned as it's normal for me to experience tender breasts about a week before my period but my period was still a while away and my breasts had NEVER been this sore. But I dealt with it, and reassured myself that I was okay. At the end of the second week, I started feeling cramps, really really bad cramps, spotting occurred, brown at first, then pink, then about two days later I broke out into a full bleed. I bled straight for 4 days, pretty much the length of my normal period, however this one seemed more heavy, and more bright red blood than I was used to, but on the 4th day of it, it stopped.
So to recap, I took Plan B around the possible time of ovulation. I experienced symptoms within a week, VERY sore breasts that lasted about three weeks, cramps, bloating, zits, dizziness, just awful. However I received my period 3 days earlier than when it was due.
Did I feel relief? Yes. Did I think this ordeal was over? Not quite. Even after my "period" had ended I ended up being the worry wart I am, taking a pregnancy test. First morning urine, about 3 weeks after the sex had happened, negative. At that point I was convinced Plan B had caused my bleeding and that I could consider that my period and the pill worked.
So when do you count your next cycle from? Well I ended up counting my next cycle from the day the new bleeding started from taking Plan B. My cycle is usually 30 days and I'm pretty regular. I am also NOT on any additional birth control, I only use condoms. So I sat here waiting or my next period to show, the next period after you have already bled once on Plan B. Now I know cycle changes are one of the side effects from Plan B and can go on for months, but again, what girl isn't worried about her health? And if you are like me, you want to be double, triple, quadruple sure you are okay?
So 30 days since I bled after taking Plan B, I had NO signs of my period coming. Very light soreness in my breasts, a twinge of pain in my abdomen, but nothing like what usually indicated it was coming. Day 30 came and went, nothing. Day 37, nothing, I was panicking! I took more home pregnancy tests even though probably not needed but to ease my mind I did. They were negative. I got so worked up that something was wrong I actually went to a free clinic for testing and they only did urine samples, negative. No one could really give me a real answer if Plan B was causing this and they seemed to have no information for me, just telling me everyone woman is different. Which I understand, but the last thing you want to hear when you are in full out panic mode is an, "I don't know, come back in two weeks", I mean this ordeal has been going on for almost two months now and the immature guy I was with jumped ship the moment I even tried to tell him I was a bit fearful of being pregnant. So lesson learned. If your partner is decent enough to stick around, bravo. I just wanted to share with him what I was going through and he did not even want to hear it.
Moving on though, so I sat with my negative pregnancy tests, being alone and scared, with no health insurance not knowing what my next move was. I have done the internet searches, I have read many of these message boards. So many girls in the same position as me, grasping for answers, yet they never seem to get one of people don't come back to tell their story after they have gone through something. So that's what I'm here for, I want to help others, because man I have been through the gauntlet with this Plan B.
So to wrap it up, here I sit, 45 days into my second cycle after taking plan b, which makes me roughly about two weeks late and I had the worst cramps, and I had mild spotting, but it looks like I have finally gotten my period and maybe now i can finally get my life back on track and focus on my life again instead of worrying about peeing on a stick.
So to recap -
Can Plan B bring on your period late or early?
Yes, after taking Plan B, I actually ended up bleeding fully two and a half weeks after taking it. I took it during the time I was ovulating and the day I got my period after taking Plan B was three days earlier than I would have expected.
Side effects?
I hate VERY sore breasts, alarmingly sore for almost three weeks, cramps, dizziness, very bad breakouts on my face which I'm still dealing with and some weight gain / bloating.
Second period after Plan B, showed almost no symptoms and more than two weeks late?
YES! My second period showed no signs it was even approaching, I drove myself nuts taking pregnancy tests, all negative, FINALLY i got my period after 45 days in between the time i bled after Plan B and now. The cramps are pretty bad I will admit. Stronger than I'm used to.
hope this helped someone out there! lesson learned for me, I'm glad as a female I have options like Plan B, very glad it's there, but wow it does work over your system pretty good so lesson learned and take caution!
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Add a Comment288 Comments
Okay, so I got my period a week early, and a week after taking the pill. At first, I was relieved because I thought it was my period because I bled for 5 days. It wasn't spotting but slightly lighter than my normal period. However, I searched for it on the web and it tells me that it could be irregular bleeding. I am now a week late for my regular period and I don't know if the pill is doing it or it's because I already had my period.
April 6, 2016 - 3:21pmThis Comment
Around February I had unprotected sex with my partner and the same day I took plan b. Within 9 days I saw spotting for at least a week, and it finally stopped for a few days and I started to bleed for a total of four days. After the 4 day, my abdomin started to swell, I didn't have much of an appitite, I caught dizzy spells on and off like crazy, and my breast were hurting. Its been a month since I took plan b and I'm still having the same problem. I haven't too a pregnancy test yet, I'm going to take it pretty soon. My cycle supposed to come within 3 days and my body feels completely different. I also want to know is it even normal for me.
April 6, 2016 - 1:53pmThis Comment
Hi,
This past Friday, I recently had unprotected sex with my partner. I took plan be no more than 4 hours afterwards. The day after, I definitely felt some unusual light cramping and still feel this unusual cramping/bloatedness, especially on my right side. I'm wondering if it's the plan b or something more (std/pregnancy). I also am due for my period in another week. Has anyone else felt this? I'm slightly freaking out, and am looking to going to my doctor in the next week. Thanks in advance!!
March 29, 2016 - 5:18pmThis Comment
How did it go? Im having the same problem and im freaking out.
June 25, 2016 - 1:05amThis Comment
Hi, I'm the one who commented on the 21st of March, I got my period today! I am so happy and relieved. It's been a week since I took the MAP. I didn't have any severe side effects, except cramps, but they weren't that bad either. I got my period one week early, and it is quite heavy considering it is the first day. I am really going to go on birth control from now on, I just can't bare the waiting, it was absolutely dreadful.
March 25, 2016 - 7:48amThis Comment
Well realising what am still going through ,I would never ever recommend map to anyone.
June 4, 2016 - 3:20amTook it on the 9th of April 2016 which is about 36 hours and I felt quite normal within the first two days, after that I began to feel nausea, increased smell adversion that increased my nausea, bloated abdomen, tender breast that last for two weeks, missed my period that was due 29 which I thought probably the body is confused by the period I got due to map which was 5 days after map.so after missed period my journey was on the pregnancy sticks which I took and they are all negative ,I have missed my second cycle again and it's 3 days late yet the pregnancy test are negative, my breast are tender and enlarged, I have strange bowel movements, I have lost 6 pounds of weight and finally am sooooo stressed
Don't know when this is gonna end but I would advise you to choose the IUD over the pill as backup ,this pill messed me up ,still in prayers about my period and my vaginal fluid seems so abnormal....
This Comment
I had 2 periods in 2 months right at time after taking plan b. But now I feel nauseous!
March 22, 2016 - 4:56pmWhat is going on?
This Comment
Thank you for you post, it made me feel loads better. I've been on the internet for about 4 days now constantly searching and searching...tiring myself out with agony. I had unprotected sex around 3am on the 18th, and took the MAP about 12pm. It was my first sexual experience, and drunk as hell. I was such an idiot. It was also two weeks before my period so I am very worried. I don't really know if he came inside me, though. I felt something like a gush of liquid inside me but I didn't see any semen leaking out or on the bed sheets. However, blood good was dripping out like mad and all over the sheets, so I'm wondering if it was the blood that exploded inside me. I took a shower right after, and blood kept on coming out. Right now, it's been about 4 days and the first two days I had cramps in the left part of my belly and small quantities of blood would come out in the morning, but I think this is just due to my cherry popping. The cramps weren't that bad, but it was worse than any of my normal cramps(seeing that I rarely have any during periods). Now, there is just a slight cramp but it kind of hurts under my right rib when I cough or bend down. Also, I've had vaginal discharges so I'm wearing a pantyiner. Is this normal? I also have hot flashes, but my breasts are fine. However, no bleeding today...
March 21, 2016 - 12:17pmThis Comment
Yes that's normal. I took the pill and the next day I didn't have bleeding but I had intense pain like if I was ovulating on one side of my body. I also felt like vomiting. Approximately two days before my date of my expected period I got what I believed was my period. It was accompanied with my typical cramps before and tired body. It was only spotting. I waited about a month and then took a test it came back negative, if I calculate the spotting as my period, I got my period 3 days before it should have come. This time I had extremely sore breast, and felt nauseous. My period is a normal heavy period. Wait a while because the symptoms are terrible. I had a friend who had no symptoms and didn't skip. I had another friend who had similar reactions with spotting, but she got her actual period exactly a month after the spotting to the day.
June 3, 2016 - 12:36amThis Comment
After googling my symptoms for almost a month, I found relief reading these comments. I had intercourse on the third day of my period (i have a 28-31 day cycle), and I took the morning after pill about 2 hours later. No symptoms for about three weeks and then I spot for three days straight. I go to the clinic for a test, came back negative. My period is almost always on time, no more than 3 days late or 3 days early, for the most part. I was supposed to get my period 5 days ago, and I started feeling breast pain, but its so different than it is before my period. It hurts to the touch almost like a bruise, but they are not bigger like they usually get during pms. I got worried and took a test, negative. Im just waiting for my period to come, hoping these weird changes are a result of the pill, since I dont see anybody else with this Same Breast pain. Thank you so much for posting your experiences with the pill!
March 10, 2016 - 10:24pmThis Comment