It is normal and expected, but it is not your period.
Withdrawal bleeding is usually briefer and lighter.
It usually begins two to three days after you stop taking hormones and can last four to six days.
Illustration by Laura Porter for Verywell Health
It is not necessary from a health perspective.
Illustration by Laura Porter for Verywell Health
What Are the Causes of Withdrawal Bleeding?
Beyond that, withdrawal bleeding and a menstrual period have few similarities.
If a pregnancy doesn’t occur, this uterine lining, orendometrium, along with blood, is shed.
It is common for people who use hormonal birth control, too, but can happen at any time.
When It Occurs
When you will bleed depends on the method of contraception you use.
Is Withdrawal Bleeding Necessary?
Unlike menstrual bleeding, there is no medical reason for withdrawal bleeding.
It was a choice of the designers of oral contraceptives to get to mimic the naturalmenstrual cycle.
When you use hormonal birth control, you are, in essence, overriding your natural menstrual cycle.
Is It OK to Skip Withdrawal Bleeding?
Keep in mind that spotting or bleeding can have other causes, though.
These can includesexually transmitted infections(STI).
Can You Have Withdrawal Bleeding After Stopping Birth Control?
These normal cycles should return within a few months.
Withdrawal bleeding should last a few days to a week.
If you experience prolonged bleeding, talk to your healthcare provider.
It is similar to your period but not the same thing.
Withdrawal bleeding is different from breakthrough bleeding, which describes unexpected uterine bleeding apart from your period.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes.
Talk to a healthcare provider about how to take only the active (not placebo pills) safely.
You’ll have to check with your insurance to see if your benefits cover contraception in this way.
It’s not uncommon for people to experience limitations on how they use birth control.
InformedHealth.org.How does the menstrual cycle work?
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Domonell K. University of Washington Medicine.Your Body on Birth Control: How The Pill and Other Contraception Really Works.
InformedHealth.org.Contraception: Hormonal contraceptives.
Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).
And If I do can I get pregnant?
Yland JJ, Bresnick KA, Hatch EE, et al.Pregravid contraceptive use and fecundability: prospective cohort study.BMJ.
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2024 Mar 27;15:1305895. doi:10.3389/fphys.2024.1305895.
2023 Aug 31;18(8):e0290726.
Kaunitz AM.Patient Education: Hormonal Methods of Birth Control (Beyond the Basics).
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