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Spotting from hormonal contraception

3 October, 2014

Question:

I had a baby about 4 months ago, I am nursing her exclusively. I started taking the mini pill when she was 4 weeks old. I kept spotting on and off for about 10 weeks (very stressful). Finally my doctor took me off the mini pill and started me on a combination pill (seasonique) with a double dosage until the bleeding stopped. The day I started that pill, the bleeding stopped and I made it to the Mikvah 7 days later. Everything was clear for about 2 weeks, then I started staining again. At first it was fine because I was wearing colored underwear and it wasn’t such large amounts, but eventually the staining got too heavy and the Rav ruled that I was a niddah again.

I know that you usually recommend sticking to the pill for at least 3 months until your body gets used to it, but I’m not sure if this will work for me. When I was on the mini pill, there was no sign of the staining stopping even though I was on it for more than 2 months, Also with this pill, the staining is just getting worse, not better.

Would you suggest I stick to this pill for another two months of Niddah, or switch to a different contraceptive? My doctor suggested the IUD but now I see on this site that it also often causes staining. What are the chances of staining while on this method?

Thanks so much again!


Answer:

Mazal tov on the birth of your baby!

In this situation, we would recommend that you consider using a diaphragm at least for the next few months.  At that point, once you’ve had a break from pill-related bleeding and your body has had a break from the pill, you could consider trying a new formulation.

Information about the IUD is available in articles and posted questions in the “Family Planning” section of our site.  We do not have precise statistics, but staining is associated with both the copper IUD and Mirena, especially at the beginning of use. The diaphragm does not cause staining.


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