Why am I losing blood like this? Is my ring no longer effective?
26-year-old woman
I have a lot of blood loss with my contraceptive ring. I have had my ring for about 2 weeks and the same situation happened 2 weeks ago, I thought it was due to the antibiotic but I am not taking it anymore.
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Marie-Laurence Gauthier · a year ago
Hello,
In order to better answer your question, I would like to know :
- How long have you been using the ring?
- Do you use it cyclically (3 weeks with the ring then 1 week without) or continuously?
- Do you lose a lot of blood or is it more of a spotting (small brownish discharge)?
- Are you taking any other medications?
- Do you have any health problems?
I am waiting for your answers!
Marie-Laurence Gauthier, pharmacist.
26-year-old woman · a year ago
For a little over a year
Normally I would take it for 1 week but for the last 3 months I have been trying it continuously
I had a treatment of antibiotics for a sinusitis and conjunctivitis (symptoms that started on January 28th) that affected my ring and took off my period 2 weeks in advance (the week of February 9th). I put my ring back on Sunday the 14th and I'm presently on symbicore 2x a day since 7 days for a beginning of bronchitis but I haven't gone to get the antibiotics yet.
The discharge is less than normal but enough to have to put a tampon and is paler since it is mixed with white discharge because of the water
The only medication I'm taking right now is my vivanse which I've been taking for a long time and the symbicore for 1 week
I finished my last antibiotic on February 10th (the tx was biaxin if I'm not mistaken?)
I did not start the other one my doctor told me to see the evolution with the pumps and I see a slight improvement so I prefer to wait
No health problems other than tdah and all the viruses I've been getting since January 28th
I hope my descriptions are clear enough!
Marie-Laurence Gauthier · a year ago
Yes very clear, thank you!
If I understand correctly, you removed your ring when you started to have blood loss, which is correct. It is important in order to preserve the contraceptive effectiveness to always wear the ring at least 21 days continuously and never stop it for more than 7 days.
Antibiotics should not interfere with the effectiveness of Nuvaring because when antibiotics decrease contraceptive effectiveness, it would be due to diarrhea. Since the hormones in the ring are not absorbed by the intestine but rather by the vaginal mucosa, this has no impact on the effectiveness of the ring. It is therefore not the antibiotic that caused the blood loss.
The discharge could be due to the continuous intake of the last 3 months. It happens that some women have to stop taking the ring to have their periods after 2 to 3 months of continuous use to avoid bleeding. You can therefore stop for a maximum of 7 days.
You removed the ring the week of February 9 and put it back on on February 14. Did you stop it for more than 7 days? If so, this could be the reason for your current blood loss. If you stopped for more than 7 days, you could be at risk of pregnancy. I advise you to contact your pharmacist to see if you could benefit from emergency contraception if you have had unprotected sex.
Otherwise, bleeding between menstrual cycles can be due to stress, certain natural products or an STD. Have you had unprotected sex lately or other symptoms (vaginal itching, etc.) that could explain a sexually transmitted infection? If so, it would be prudent to seek medical advice.
If the answer is no to all these hypotheses, I advise you to continue wearing your ring according to the desired regimen (continuously for 2-3 months or a 7-day break every 21 days) and see if the bleeding will stop. If you respect the dosage, it continues to be effective. If bleeding persists after 3 months, you may want to contact your doctor.
Does this answer your question?
Have a nice day!
Marie-Laurence Gauthier, pharmacist.
26-year-old woman · a year ago
No I have never taken it off for more than 7 days in a row and the answer is no to not all the questions as well
But is it better to keep it anyway and remove it on my scheduled date as I have not had it for 21 days? And in the future I'm better to not keep it continuously and to stop my 7 days between each? Because finally I would say that the losses are like my regular flow even a little more in 2 days.
Marie-Laurence Gauthier · a year ago
Yes, you must continue to wear it and remove it on the scheduled date.
You can try again to take it continuously and stop for 7 days every 2 to 3 months or when bleeding occurs.
26-year-old woman · a year ago
Perfect thank you very much for the advice good evening :)
Marie-Laurence Gauthier · a year ago
It's a pleasure :)
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