Ladies, gross period question.

That dark red goopy stuff is tissue. I get it too. Doesn’t it look like jello? Don’t eat it, though.

It’s called break through bleeding. If you missed pills and had to double up, that will cause it. If you’ve been taking your pills consistently, you might want to consider a pill change. Contact your nurse practitioner or doctor to talk about options.

It’s been all over the TV lately. Get off of that Yasmin! That & Yaz & another BC are causing big problems. Go to your doctor & get on something else. That very well may be your problem.

note to self: when the question contains the words “ladies” and “gross”, do not click.

@jbfletcherfan “it’s been all over the TV lately” because of ambulance chasing lawyers. Yaz and Yasmin have some unique characteristics, but there is not enough evidence at this point to recommend that women stop taking those pills.

It’s normal actually. I just talked to my gyno about it last week. She said that it’s just extra lining and stuff coming out, and it’s not a big deal. It happened to me when I started my pills as well, though I’m on a different pill. It was freaking me out because it was really dark and gross. But honestly. It’s totally normal. You could definitely ask your doctor though, like I did, to be safe.

Your gyno is right, BTB is not dangerous or harmful. It’s common the first 2–3 months on pills, but if it’s happening after that, if it’s bothering you, that’s when it’s time to consider a pill change.

Thank you all! Will meet with my gyno next time I’m home but not worry about it too much til then:)

@PapaLeo Ha, an important lesson learned.

@holden Eww. Haha.

Don’t feel bad… I’m on Depo, and I’m not supposed to get a period, yet I get that spotting for a week and a half-ish and then I get fresh blood for several days. Never more than a light tampon, but for crying out loud, it’s gross. And annoying.

@PapaLeo Ditto

Weird period things happen to me if I miss a pill and take a double up. I once bled for 2 weeks following an incidence of this. Total bummer and I turned into a zilla!

@MagsRags Well, one can do what they want to, of course. But I, for one, sure wouldn’t be taking them. MO.

@jbfletcherfan I have worked in women’s health care for more than 30 years, I do family planning counseling and managemment all day every day and I actually had to google “yasmin controversy” a couple of months ago to find out what the litigators were basing their crusade on.

Turns out there are competing European studies, some showing a higher risk of thromboembolism in pills using newer types of progesterones like dropirenone the progesterone in Yasmin, Yaz, and Ocella and another one that did not find an increased risk. The two studies that showed higher risk showed similar problems with other “third generation” progesterones, contained in other pills like Orthocept, Mircette, and Desogen.

I’ve been around long enough that I remember similar controversies that erupted around “second generation” progesterones back 15–20 years ago. There was lots of publicity, some law suits, a lot of scared women, and ultimately, additional research was done that calmed concerns. There are potential downsides to the original first generation progesterones too. I just think it’s too soon to tell what the eventual risks/benefits balance will b.

I’m all abuot the icky period questions. I ask them too. It’s nice to have a place to go where it’s okay to find out if other people are experiencing the same thing, huh?

Okay, to the question: I’ve experienced what you described for as long as I can remember. My periods are just about always like that. They’re never red like “normal” blood. They’re dark, brown, and goopy. It’s actually improved since I’ve been on the pills. I can’t tell you whether you should switch or not, but I can tell you that what you’re experiencing is not dangerous or a cause for concern.

@PapaLeo and @XOIIO – It’s not like you weren’t warned.

@La_chica_gomela I’m glad you’re into these questions too! It’s not the consistency that concerns me, it’s the timing. I have that one the week before, when I’m still taking hormones, then a normal thinner redder one when I’m supposed to.

@sliceswiththings: Ah, I see. I agree, it is odd. I can’t say I’ve ever had that specific pattern happen to me, but I have had my period start early a lot of the time on the pill (especially the low-dose ones). I figured it was because I probably hadn’t taken my pills at exactly the right time, and the withdrawal triggered it to start early.

@sliceswiththings Yeah. That’s exactly what happens to me! The weird gloopy darkish stuff the week before while I’m still on the actual pill, then the normal period on the placebo days. It’s annoying, but it’s fine.

@chelseababyy Are you sure? My bio major friend acted concerned when I told her. Glad to know I’m not the only one!

@sliceswiththings Yeah. I talked to my gyno about it. She said that it’s normal, and it happens to a lot of people. It’s just extra tissue and lining and stuff. I bet you can find a lot about it if you google it as well.

@chelseababyy Great thanks!

@sliceswiththings You’re welcome. And it’s weird because I was just put on the pill in Sept/Oct and that never happened to me before. I usually just got spotting like 1–2 days before, but not stuff like this a week before. It’s gross, however your body is just cleaning itself. Bleh.

@jbfletcherfan Its all over TV because some people are getting mad because of the stated side effects that mainly occur when they smoke with the product. Its all there in the warnings, the law suits don’t have a chance, but people are going to file anyway. There’s nothing wrong with the pills that people wouldn’t know if they read the possible side effects on the insert that comes with it.

@sliceswiththings I use Nuvaring and love it. No missing pills, no issues that I’ve had at all… only have to worry about it 2x a month insertion for 3 weeks, removal for one week, inserting a new one after that week and into the next month. I get that stuff the day before sometimes when I’m not on anything which is a good because its a warning that the flood is about to commence before it gets there so I can prepare for it like build an ark. :)

@avvooooooo Maybe it’s just me, but the fact that there’s a “ring” in me would freak me the fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck out.

I’d be scared I didn’t get it in there right. Let’s not talk about my attempted use of VCF.

@chelseababyy Its no worse than a tampon. And you completely forget its there. If you can use a tampon, you can use the Nuvaring! And you can completely have sex while its in there too. If your partner feels it, its not a bad sensation. :)

@poofandmook Its really hard to not get it in there right. You just fold it half, shove it in there and keep poking until its not falling out. Then its in there right!

@avvooooooo is right about the ring, it works as birth control by absorbing the hormones through the vaginal walls. It doesn’t have to be in a particular position to work, and there’s nowhere wrong for it to go. So if you’re not physically aware that it’s in, you’ve got it in right.

Yeah, like @MagsRags and I said… just shove it up there and keep poking til it doesn’t fall out. :D

@avvooooooo Well I sometimes use a mentrual cup, so I guess I’d be use to it.

@sliceswiththings True story. Guess who got their week-before-the-period-starts disgusting friend today. I DID. GRR.

@chelseababyy Ahh sorry to hear it! I agree that the ring would freak me out. I don’t even like tampons:(