Patient's question:
Patient Gender: On October 21, the patient took emergency contraception. On October 23, the patient had their period. After 13 days, the bleeding was still irregular. The patient took Gongxuening for 4 days and the bleeding stopped. On November 23, the patient had their period again. As of today, it has been 9 days, and there is still dark red blood flowing accompanied by lower back pain, leg weakness, and abdominal bloating. What could be the reason for this? How should it be treated? (Normally, the period lasts for 7 days)Doctor's answer:
How is the cause of vaginal bleeding? Hello, considering your condition, the vaginal bleeding is likely due to the side effects of birth control pills. Bleeding after taking emergency contraception is a relatively common occurrence in clinical practice, often referred to as withdrawal bleeding. The bleeding time after taking emergency contraception generally does not exceed 4 days. If the amount of bleeding is similar to your usual menstrual flow, you can consider it as one menstrual period. After the bleeding stops, you should immediately adopt conventional contraception methods. The side effects of birth control pills may lead to endocrine disorders, menstrual irregularities, amenorrhea, infertility, or gastrointestinal discomfort, headaches, weight gain, nervousness, low mood, skin hyperpigmentation, and acne, among others. Birth control pills should not be used more than three times within a year, and only once per month.