Question about side effects after stopping BCPs

I recently finished my last pack of bcps. I was supposed to start a new pack this Tuesday but did not Last night, I had some very minor spotting. Not enough to see it when I wiped but I saw some brown staining in my underwear (sorry to be TMI ). I noticed very minor cramping after that so I put on a panty liner but haven't noticed anything else as of yet. I'm not sure if the spotting is over or if I should expect this to continue?

Is it normal to spot so soon after stopping the pill? 3-4 days after I normally would have started a pack? I did have sex a few days ago, I think Tues or Wed but we were careful.

Do you think this means my period will be off now?

Thanks guys!

Re: Question about side effects after stopping BCPs

Was your period irregular before you went on the pill? That's usually an indication of how it will be after you go off.

It's normal for it to take a month or a few months to regulate back to your old cycles once you stop the pill.

If you just stopped it, you probably just had your period last week, so a little residual spotting sounds normal, but I'm no doctor. If you have any sort of severe cramps or bleeding lasting more than a few moments, I'd call your doctor just to get checked, but it sounds like yours went away pretty fast.

Good luck with your TTC journey & feel better!

Re: Question about side effects after stopping BCPs

i spotted for awhile after stopping the pill...this was 7 years ago, so i dont remember exactly how long i was spotting for, but i would say maybe 1-2 weeks? then it went away. other then that the only other side effect i had was my hair wasnt falling out as much as it was while on the pill

Re: Question about side effects after stopping BCPs

I stopped BCP at the end of August. I started getting a brown colored CM a few days later & then a day or 2 later I got AF. It lasted 5 days & was 5 days early. I am "supposed" get get AF on 10/5 but I have no indication, as of yet, that its going to happen except that I am bloated. For me, stopping BCP has been a difficult thing. I have been an emotional wreak!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Question about side effects after stopping BCPs

my period was always regular as far as i can remember. i got my first period when i was 11 and i remember my mom always marking the calendar for when i should get my next period - i guess she wanted to keep track of my cycle to make sure i was getting my period regularly which as far as i can remember i did. when i was 17 i went on BC and i have been on it for 8 years straight - until now :) :)

it kind of looked like brown CM not anything like a period - i did have minor cramping and that was what was weird to me. but today nothing so far.

i am going to try and relax about it - i don't want to stress over anything unecessarily (unfortunately i have enough regular things to stress about right now )

i was just wondering if this was a normal thing that happens? i tried looking up some info online but didn't really find what i was looking for.

i just hope i regulate, that has been my biggest concern since i have heard of people taking time to get regular again. then i hear of others who are still right on time every month after stopping.

Re: Question about side effects after stopping BCPs

Leftover brown discharge sounds totally normal.

You sound like you're in good shape if you had that many years of a regular cycle before going on BC. It still could take a few months to go back to that, but my understanding is that you are VERY likely to go back to your old cycle and everything will be like you were never on the pill.

I never got my period regularly before I went on BCP and at 18 years old had only gotten my period about 4 times in my LIFE, starting around age 16. Pretty different story from yours! In the two years between going off BC and starting TTC, my cycles was all over the place. I still got PG within 3 months (well, really, cycles, since that third cycle was actually close to 2 months long) of our TTC. (I was shocked.)

Still if you are concerned, you should go see your doctor. They can make sure nothing else is wrong. It sounds like to me that you're fine, though. Keep tracking dates on the calendar and maybe write down symptoms / discharge (I did that the entire time between stopping BCP and TTC) and then if you have any trouble TTC you will go to your doctor armed with lots of information which can only help.