8:06 am - 04/16/2012

Stacking pills on OTC Lo, missed period?

I'm on a triphasic pull and I am usually really good about taking my pill on time. Sometimes I will take my pill 4-5 hours late, but I am generally on time with my pills and never miss one.

I recently was with this guy I've sort of been seeing and we had sex but he didn't ejaculate inside me. I stack my packs together and went 1-2-3 1-2-3 (meaning a drop from the 3rd week to the 1st). Usually I will get my period 4 days into a placebo week. I know I'm still taking active pills, but I literally had cramping and only really minor spotting this month. Now I'm worried I've somehow gotten pregnant and can't remember if I missed a pill (but I would venture to say I didn't).

Is missing a period normal on this pill? I had a random period last month mid-pack and now I'm really confused. I dont like this pill and I am going to try to switch, but I don't know if I have anything to be worried about right now.

Thanks!
kimie_catclaw 16th-Apr-2012 12:35 pm (UTC)
Considering the point of stacking your pills is to avoid a withdrawal bleed, absolutely normal! :D You are protected from pregnancy as long as you take at least 21 active pills, followed by a break of no more than 7 days/placebo pills.

Plus, he didn't ejaculate inside you, so yeah. Pretty much nothing to worry about!
littlemonster5 16th-Apr-2012 01:07 pm (UTC)
Thanks for the quick response. I know triphasic pills are a little different with stacking, so I was just confused and maybe a little paranoid. We didn't even have sex for that long really.

Do you know what the window is for triphasic pills and considering them missed? I am getting conflicting reports. My old monophasic pill pack was 12 hours, but I'm not sure about the OTC.
kimie_catclaw 16th-Apr-2012 01:53 pm (UTC)
For *combined* pills (monophasic and triphasic), it's considered "missed" after 12 hours. The window for progestin-only pills is much smaller.


If you want to stack with a lower chance of breakthrough bleeding, you can go 123,321,123, etc., and avoid that more drastic drop in hormones from week 3 to 1.
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