Can there be a pregnancy while on contraceptive patches?

Question

Hello doctor,

I have had some symptoms for the past one and a half weeks that mimic the symptoms when I found I was pregnant with my daughter. I was supposed to have my period tomorrow. Last week, I started with light spotting, and it happened on and off for a day, maybe less. Then, within two days, I started bleeding. I thought it just started early, but I have been having occasional bleeding (lighter to heavier) for two days. I have had cramping, back pain, headache and today I had a lot of blood clots, and tissue coming out with it, along with right groin pain for a couple of days. I have never experienced these symptoms, and they are intense. I am scared this is the start of a miscarriage. But any test I have taken has been negative. I have been on the patch for almost a year and have not experienced anything like this, and I have a weird feeling now.

Kindly help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

First, to confirm a pregnancy, you should perform a pregnancy test two weeks after having sexual intercourse. So, perform a urinary pregnancy test or b-HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) test to exclude or confirm a pregnancy, and then get an ultrasound to evaluate the uterine cavity. On the other hand, maybe your menses and clots have come earlier and have a different pattern compared with other menstrual bleeding. As you use the patch for one year, there is a low chance of pregnancy, as long as you have used it correctly.

I hope this helps.

Please follow up if you have more concerns.

Thank you