Birth Control Spotting

Birth control spotting is also known as 'break through bleeding'. It is when you notice spotting while on birth control. There is a common mistake, which a number of women make, that they stop taking the pills because bleeding happens. It will simply reset the whole cycle and you will have to start the whole process again.

Spotting on Birth Control

A number of women experience birth control spotting between periods. There are a number of reasons, which can lead to birth control spotting. Often a number of women experience spotting when they start on a new oral contraceptive. This is normally seen in the first six months of starting the contraceptive, because this is the time, when the body is adjusting to the constant hammering of hormones. It can also happen if an estrogen only pill is started. There can be spotting, if a woman ends the birth control regimen, she is on. Many times, a number of women miss their daily pills or take them incorrectly and this can cause birth control spotting. Read more on getting off birth control.

If you want to know, if it is indeed spotting, an easy way is to thoroughly examine the bleeding. The bleeding here is very light and is similar to the bleeding, which happens at the start of the menstrual cycle or at the end of the menstrual cycle. If you spot for a day and then start your menstrual cycle, it is not an indicator of birth control spotting. The color of spotting varies from light pink to light brown. This spotting happens, when the woman is not on her normal five to seven day period cycle.

If spotting when on birth control is common, you will want to get in touch with your health care professional. But before you visit him, make sure, you have the details about the spotting. The health care professional will want to know, when you bleed, how much, particular time period, sexual intercourse, stress and also about birth control spotting cramps. This will help the health care professional in identifying the exact problem with you.

After understanding all the symptoms, your health care professional may also recommend switching birth control pills. In some cases, the oral contraceptive you are on currently, may not be a sufficient method for birth control, and hence some additional methods will also have to be implemented. The new prescribed pill will have either high or low dosage, depending on the need. A number of doctors are of the opinion, that if there is break through bleeding in the three cycles, it is always good to have the pills changed.

More often than not, spotting on birth control is a result of hormonal imbalance. Birth control pills are high on hormones. If an individual pill is missed or if the same time is not maintained, the body will take it as a sign of drop in the estrogen levels in the body. This will result in spotting. It is recommended to take the birth control pills at the same time everyday. This will help in avoiding spotting, while on birth control. Read more about the side effects of stopping birth control.

A drop in the progesterone levels in the body can also cause birth control spotting. This is especially true in cases, if the birth control pill is an estrogen only pill. In such cases, there will be spotting several days to a week before the start of the menstrual cycle. You may want to read more on stopping birth control pills.

There is also another angle to spotting while on birth control, which you may want to rule out. It is also a symptom of sexually transmitted disease (STD). In case you are of the opinion, that you are exposed to STD, talk to your health care professional about the same. In such a case, the line of treatment will differ.

To identify the exact problem with birth control spotting, you will have to keep a track of your menstrual cycle as well as your pills, without which, it will be very difficult to identify the cause of the problem.