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Q: Menstruation and pregnancy
asked by: DoctorQuestion on March 16th, 2008
I have been on birth control for almost a year now. Ortho patch for a few months then switched to the Lutera pill. I have never missed a period...until this month. And I have been taking my pill every day, around the same time (10:30pm-11:30pm) this whole month.
Is it abnormal to have this? Is it possible that I am pregnate?
Also, could excercise be a factor of why I missed this month's period? I have been excercising 2-3 days a week for an hour & also MWF during school I have to climb a hill for 20 minutes to get to class. Could this be a factor?


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Dr. Nikola Gjuzelov , MD
replied on April 4th, 2008
Birth Control Answer A3863
Contraceptive pills are one of the most secure contraceptive methods with effectiveness over 99%. If used properly, chances for getting pregnant are less than 1%. Although very small, chances for getting pregnant are still present. The only contraceptive method that is 100% secure is abstinence (avoiding sex). You can do a pregnancy test to check if you are pregnant or not.
When using birth control pills, menstruation should occur while taking the last 7 (inactive) pills. This menstruation is not like the real menstruation because ovulation was missing. It usually differs from the real menstruation (less bleeding, shorter period and no pain). Sometimes the period (menstruation) can be even missed or more likely delayed. Delayed menstruation is usually with a greater amount of bleeding.


It doesn’t seem likely that physical exercises caused that missing period . If there is no pregnancy, a missing period can be a side effect of the pills or can be due to existence of a functionally active ovarian cyst.
You may want to consult your gynecologist about this.





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