I've been taking Alesse since I was 18 (I am 24 now) and haven't had any problems in all that time. My period has always been the same every month.
About 4 months ago I very significantly overhauled my diet. I'm eating "clean" so I've been avoiding refined sugars and processed food and I am eating high protein and relatively low carb. When I first started the diet, I did spot a little (which I was actually warned might happen because of my diet) but then I balanced out, went back to normal and everything has been fine.
About 3 months ago, I started taking the "generic" version of Alesse because it's quite a bit cheaper than the "name brand". Switching to it was no problem, I experienced no side effects at all. I haven't missed any pills ever.
About a week ago, I decided to really buckle down on my diet in preparation for my Jamaica vacation in 11 days (I want to look great in that new bikini I bought!), which basically just means I've been avoiding "cheats" (I usually treat myself once or twice a week to something "bad").
Well, this morning I woke up and I wasn't just spotting, I full blown have my period! I have cramps and everything, a full 2 weeks before I am supposed to actually have it!
Should I be concerned? What do you suppose caused this? My Fiance is worried my pill may not be working, but I haven't had any issues for 3 months. What should I do?
ETA: This is also an EXTREMELY heavy period compared to what I am used to. Normally I have a very light period (I use 2-3 regular tampons max usually), but today I've gone through 2 tampons already and I'm on to my third since this morning!
About 4 months ago I very significantly overhauled my diet. I'm eating "clean" so I've been avoiding refined sugars and processed food and I am eating high protein and relatively low carb. When I first started the diet, I did spot a little (which I was actually warned might happen because of my diet) but then I balanced out, went back to normal and everything has been fine.
About 3 months ago, I started taking the "generic" version of Alesse because it's quite a bit cheaper than the "name brand". Switching to it was no problem, I experienced no side effects at all. I haven't missed any pills ever.
About a week ago, I decided to really buckle down on my diet in preparation for my Jamaica vacation in 11 days (I want to look great in that new bikini I bought!), which basically just means I've been avoiding "cheats" (I usually treat myself once or twice a week to something "bad").
Well, this morning I woke up and I wasn't just spotting, I full blown have my period! I have cramps and everything, a full 2 weeks before I am supposed to actually have it!
Should I be concerned? What do you suppose caused this? My Fiance is worried my pill may not be working, but I haven't had any issues for 3 months. What should I do?
ETA: This is also an EXTREMELY heavy period compared to what I am used to. Normally I have a very light period (I use 2-3 regular tampons max usually), but today I've gone through 2 tampons already and I'm on to my third since this morning!
I'm so glad you mentioned this. I had the same cost issue recently with my BC, where the generic I'd been taking cost more on my new insurance than did the name brand the new insurance covers. The actual cash price of the generic is about $15 per pack less than the cash price of the name brand. So I've sort of concluded that my insurance might have some kind of deal worked out with the pharmaceutical company that makes my name brand pill -- which, while I'm grateful to have insurance, is not exactly a comforting thought.
In terms of what you might do, first, am I reading it correctly that you put in a 3rd tampon during your afternoon? If so, does that mean you're going more than 1-2 hours before changing a tampon? If that's correct, the amount of bloodflow in itself isn't unusual, though if it's accompanied by feeling lightheaded/passing out/etc., that's a sign to get urgent medical attention. For possibly resetting the bleeding, if your partner hasn't ejaculated inside you for the last 7 days, you might be able to take a 4-7 day break to stop the bleeding. (If your partner has ejaculated inside that time frame, there may be viable sperm present in your body, so waking up the ovaries early could be risky.) That said: a) you wouldn't be fully protected with your pills until you were 7 days into your new pack; b) there's no guarantee that this would reset the bleeding or that you wouldn't experience new breakthrough bleeding on the next pack because of the change in pill-taking pattern.
One option people have tried -- that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't -- is to take 400mgs of ibuprofen (that's 2 standard OTC pills) every 4 hours for 24-48 hours to see if it stops the bleeding. Like I said, it's not a guarantee. But if you're okay to take OTC ibuprofen generally, it might be a reasonable thing to try.
Diet can have an impact on menstruation cycle.
Also like
Diet can have an impact on menstruation cycle.
Also like <lj-username="frolicnaked"> said, this can be caused by stress. Maybe the stress of your trip or other life stresses.
In my personal case, levothyroxine, each brand of levothyroxine (including the "brands" of generic) is absorbed slightly differently. So while I might be fine on 88mcg of Unithroid, the absorption differences might mean I'd need 100mcg of Synthroid, or 75mcg of Someotherbrand. (So if you're hypothyroid, try to pick a brand name and Dispense As Written. While you can get your levels fine on a generic, the pharmacy can switch generic "brands" out from under you, and then you have to get more blood tests to see if the absorption is such that you can keep your old dosage, or if you need to tweedle it.)
With hormonal birth control, it is AMAZINGLY COMMON for people to have different side effects depending on if they are on the brand name or the generic. The "inactive" ingredients can affect how the body processes the stuff, and people may find that they're fine on one, but not the other. Sometimes they're fine on the generic and not on the brand name!
It's true that some people don't find much difference between a trade-name and a generic of that brand -- but many people do report that there's a difference, and generally, when switching brands or from brand-to-generic, one should be unsurprised if it takes the usual 3 months to "settle in" and figure out which side effects (if any!) are going to stay for as long as one is on that particular brand/generic.
That said -- I would suggest that the diet change and the stress is causing this middle-of-the-month bleeding. I'm on the Mirena now, but previously my 'like clockwork' periods would sometimes have unscheduled mid-cycle periods, too. Stress was usually the culprit.
If it were within 3 months, though, it'd be even odds if it was the HBC or the external stress or a combo.