HomeAnswersObstetrics and Gynecologycontraceptive pillHow to confirm whether I had withdrawal bleeding or normal period ?

I got my periods 4 days earlier than my due date after i-pill intake. Is this withdrawal bleeding?

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The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Vinodhini J.

Published At September 23, 2020
Reviewed AtNovember 29, 2023

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

I had protected sex last month. Just to be sure, I took an i-pill within six hours on the same day itself. My cycle is 28 days. I have read online that after taking an i-pill, a woman gets withdrawal bleeding within 7-10 days. But I did not get any withdrawal bleeding (even after 15 days ). However, I got periods four days early than my expected period date. I had periods for three to four days. Usually my periods start with lots of pain and cramps, but this time they started without any pain. But from the second day of periods, usual pain and cramps started. Blood was thin and darker than normal periods. Overall, I had usual periods like symptoms cramps, pain, etc. So I am not sure, whether this periods was withdrawal bleeding or my normal periods. Is there still a chance of pregnancy?

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have gone through your thorough description and will help you out for sure. As per your description, as it was protected intercourse and took an emergency contraceptive pill, the chances of pregnancy are very low (but not zero, as every contraception method has some failure rate). Yes, withdrawal bleed can happen after an emergency contraceptive pill as they consist of a high dose of hormones, but occasionally there can be delayed bleeding. Also, a cycle length of 28 plus minus seven days is considered normal. So we cannot exactly say whether it was withdrawal bleed due to the medications as it took quite some time, but as the bleeding happened around the time of your periods, so it can be considered as your menstrual cycle. But the thing to note here is that this does not rule out any possibility of pregnancy. To have confirmation, it would be better if you get a urine home pregnancy test done to be extra sure, as that is the objective evidence. Also, if the pregnancy happened by that event, it would have been positive by now. So if the test turns out to be negative, you can be 100% sure that there is no possibility of pregnancy anymore.

I hope this helps.

Preventive measures

Menstrual diary.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Sravanthi Nuthalapati
Dr. Sravanthi Nuthalapati

Obstetrics and Gynecology

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