YOUNG-WOMEN Messages for April, 2001: Re: Weird periods

Re: Weird periods

From: William McIntosh, MD (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Wed, 25 Apr 2001 08:37:40 -0500 (CDT)

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In reply to: ellie: "Weird periods"

At Tue, 24 Apr 2001, ellie wrote: >
>I've been taking a new kind of BCP these last two months (Demulen). My
>cycles (even on the triphasic pills that I had before) were kind of
>heavy and lasted for about 3 days. My periods these last two months
>have been light. The first day I get a light flow, but then the next
>two days, I just have spotting and it looks like I have reddish/brown
>discharge. (By the way, I take all of my pills perfectly.) Is this
>normal? Will my periods become more normal as time goes on? Do
>monophasic pills tend to give lighter periods than triphasic pill
>because the regimen is less like a "normal" hormonal cycle? Thanks for
>your help!

This is normal. Monophasic pills tend to have lighter periods and less breakthrough bleeding than the triphasic. By the way, there is nothing remotely more normal about a triphasic cycle. That is just marketing. The only (and highly dubious) advantage of the triphasic is the slightly lower total dose of hormone in a month. The cost for that lower dose is a higher rate of breakthrough bleeding and heavier periods.

-- William D. McIntosh, MD, FACOG

This is for educational purposes only, and is not a substitute for consultation and examination by a licensed medical professional.

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