Why am I having spotting and pain after unprotected sex?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 22-year-old. I had unprotected sex. I took Levonorgestrel 10 hours after sex. After two days, I had bleeding spots on my panties. Now it has been one week, and for the last two days, I have been getting much more pain in my stomach and body pain. Is this normal?

Is it possible that I am still pregnant?
How can I protect myself from getting pregnant?

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

Most likely diagnosis is hormonal effects after emergency contraception with Levonorgestrel. What you are experiencing fits very well with the normal effects of an emergency contraceptive pill. You took it within 10 hours, which is very effective. Light bleeding or spotting after one to three days is common. Lower abdominal pain and body aches can happen due to hormone changes.

So, the spotting you saw is most likely a withdrawal bleed caused by the pill, not a period, and not a sign of pregnancy. Mild to moderate stomach cramps and body pain can occur after the pill because it temporarily disturbs your hormones. This usually settles in a few days.

Since you took the pill early within 10 hours, the chance of pregnancy is low, but not zero.

Take a pregnancy test 14 days after sex.
If negative, but your period does not come, repeat after five to seven days.
If pain becomes severe, one-sided, or you feel dizzy or faint, you should see a doctor.
If you have heavy bleeding soaking pads quickly, get checked.
Do not rely on emergency pills regularly.
Use condoms every time.
Consider regular contraception, like daily pills or other methods, if you are sexually active.

Your symptoms are most likely due to Levonorgestrel and not pregnancy, but you should still do a pregnancy test to confirm.

I hope you are satisfied with my answer. For further queries, you can consult me at iCliniq.

Thank you.