Most people double or combine the contraceptive pills to control their breakthrough bleeding or delay their periods. So, can you double up on birth control pills to stop bleeding? Mostly, doctors recommend taking hormonal pills to control breakthrough bleeding.
Breakthrough bleeding is the unusual spotting or heavy bleeding you experience between your periods or pregnancy. However, is taking 2 pills or combined pills at a time safe?
In some cases, birth control may give you unexpected bleeding. However, there is no problem with taking two pills at a time.
Let’s examine these facts in more detail.
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Double Up On Birth Control Pills To Stop Bleeding
Double up on birth control pills to stop bleeding is effective and safe. Indeed, birth control pills are the first-line treatment to stop bleeding in women with a healthy uterus. Women with a normal uterus and heavy periods are often recommended to take birth control pills first.
A birth control pill contains estrogen that can thicken the blood and promote clotting. As a result, the flow of menstrual fluid can be reduced or shortened in duration, and it can also lessen the pain related to heavy periods! Almost 8 in 10 women respond well to birth control, with a healthy uterus.
Not only this, but BC pills help to treat the following bleeding disorder:
- Dysfunctional uterine bleeding—abnormal vaginal bleeding caused by hormonal changes, typically resulting from failure to get an egg from the ovaries.
- Von Willebrand disease (a hereditary disorder that causes the body to be unable to clot the blood properly)
Anyhow, not all women who experience heavy or unusual bleeding respond to birth control, as a number of factors can cause on-off spotting or heavy bleeding. Following are a few causes!
- The structural issue, such as uterus infection or fibroid
- Hormone imbalance
- Postmenopause
- Delayed ovulation
- Bleeding disorders
- Use of contraceptive devices
- Drug interaction
- Reproductive system disease, liver disease etc.
In most of these situations, birth control pills may not be able to control or stop the blood flow. Also, it may cause a number of side effects that may outweigh its benefits.
Therefore, women experiencing frequent on, off bleeding should consult a health expert and get the appropriate treatment. Instead of taking pills, doctors may recommend vaginal rings or patches to deliver hormones.
Related to read: Bleeding Outside the Menstrual Cycle? Here Are Some Answers
Can You Take 2 Birth Control Pills At Once?
Indeed, yes! You can take 2 birth control pills or combined BC drugs at once. It is unlikely that two BC pills per day will cause any symptoms or severe consequences. Anyhow, don’t make it a habit or daily dose.
Although it is safe to take 2 pills at once, you may feel nauseated. But, it may pass on its own quickly. Also, natural remedies like drinking ginger tea can help relieve pills-induced nausea. Typically, it is okay to take 2 pills at once.
However, it is hard to say whether it is good or bad for you without knowing your medical history. People with blood clotting problems or who smoke, older women with a medical condition, or those who have a family history of blood clots should avoid taking it.
Therefore, increasing the dose of your medicine should be done in consultation with your doctor.
How To Stop Breakthrough Bleeding On The Pill Immediately?
Birth control pills are the most effective and budget-friendly way to stop breakthrough bleeding. It is best to take your BC pills every day at the same time in order to stop bleeding.
Another way to treat breakthrough bleeding is to stop taking the pill for a week. During this period, your uterus will start to heal naturally. After that, you can resume taking birth control, and the bleeding should stop.
Also, using a panty liner can prevent stains on clothes from happening unexpectedly.
Moreover, if you’re getting heavy bleeding after using a pill, then it is not normal. Make sure to keep an eye on your bleeding pattern and other symptoms.
Related to read: Here Is How Birth Control Can Affect Different Women in Different Ways
How To Stop Spotting Naturally Home Remedies?
Want to know if you can delay your periods naturally? It is actually possible. Besides double up on birth control pills to stop bleeding, you can consider natural home remedies to normalize your menstrual cycle and vaginal bleeding. Here are a few home remedies that may help you stop spotting breakthrough bleeding or heavy menstruation.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is the best tonic for women’s health. Adding one tablespoon of ACV to 1 glass of water and drinking it daily will help you to delay your periods. It removes the toxins from the body and maintains the hormonal balance in the body.
Moreover, it helps in reducing menstruation or ovulation cramps and treating heavy bleeding. On the whole, drinking apple cider vinegar with water has many benefits.
Related to read: Apple Cider Vinegar While Breastfeeding
Pineapple
Pineapple is an outstanding home remedy and natural fruit to improve menstruation health. It contains an enzyme called Bromelain that is supposed to affect the sex hormones. Although there is little research supporting the effectiveness of pineapple, people who used it found excellent results.
It helps in the regulation of periods, relieves PMS symptoms, and improves blood flow. Besides, this tangy fruit helps generate white and red blood cells.
Gelatin
Drinking gelatin solution helps incredibly stop your flaky flow from hours to weeks. It is a traditional Chinese method used widely to stop periods in no time. To make this solution, you have to mix a packet of gelatin and one cup of water and drink it!
It will help slow down the menstruation process, resulting in delayed periods. You can delay the start of your period by four hours by drinking dissolved gelatin solution. For a more extended period of relief, repeat the gelatin treatment for as long as necessary.
Take Ginger
Ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory spice that may improve menstruation cycles and prevent blood clotting. Drinking ginger tea, or taking ginger, is a therapeutic option to stop heavy bleeding or normalize menstrual flow.
Ginger supplements have been shown to be very helpful for women with HMB.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is another beneficial spice that can improve menstrual irregularities. For women with dysmenorrhea, it is considered an effective and safe treatment. Besides reducing the heavy blood flow during periods, it may also kick-start your periods.
Overall, taking cinnamon tea is good for PMS symptoms, menstruation pain, nausea, bloating, heavy bleeding or other menstruation abnormalities.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Having more than normal weight, or less than normal weight, may lead to irregular vaginal spotting. Therefore, maintaining a healthy weight helps with menstruation and reduces irregular bleeding. Besides this, maintaining a healthy weight improves your overall health as well.
So, if you want to gain or lose weight, exercise and nutritional plans can help!
FAQs
Can ibuprofen stop spotting?
Taking ibuprofen during menstruation may reduce blood spotting by 20-40% or more. As it slows down the production of prostaglandin thus, it reduces uterine shedding. It results in less spotting or no cramps. However, it may not completely stop breakthrough spotting or period’s flow.
If I start birth control on my period, will it stop bleeding?
It depends significantly on the type of birth control you’re currently using. Generally, women with IUD implants, pills, patches, or rings have less effect on their periods. However, they may have less bleeding than usual. Anyhow, women who take shots instead of pills may have stop periods at all or often.
How quickly does birth control stop bleeding?
It depends greatly on the type of birth control treatment you’re using to stop bleeding. Typically, it takes 3 to 6 months to stop bleeding after starting hormonal birth control. However, a continuous birth control pill can prolong bleeding episodes or make them worse if you forget to take it often.
What is the best birth control pill to stop heavy bleeding?
There are a number of hormonal or non-hormonal birth control methods that may help with heavy bleeding. If you choose to take BC for your heavy bleeding, then mini pills help manage heavy bleeding with no side effects. Indeed, you can take this low dose progestin pill every day to stop breakthrough bleeding.
However, you may also take combination birth control pills to manage heavy bleeding or breakthrough spotting. Moreover, extended birth control pills such as Yaz, Seasonique, Beyaz, Lo Loestrin Fe, Amethyst are also helpful.
Why am I bleeding so much after starting birth control?
Breakthrough bleeding or heavy spotting is the most common side effect among women using hormonal contraception methods. The bleeding is actually little breakthrough spots or even heavier like a period’s flow.
But, it is a concern in the first few months since your body adjusts itself according to the synthetic hormones. After that, your irregular bleeding will normalize, unless you don’t have other sexual or vaginal diseases.
Can taking birth control pills while pregnant cause a miscarriage?
Taking oral birth control may have little or no risk on the fetus. It is unlikely to cause miscarriage or stunted fetal death. However, if you’re worried that you had taken birth control before you found out you were pregnant, it is not necessarily dangerous, but be sure to check with your doctor.
Related to read: Can Doubling up on Birth Control Pills Prevent Pregnancy?
How to stop menstrual bleeding after 7 days?
You can use any birth control to stop menstrual bleeding after 7 days. If you have an unusual discharge along with menstrual blood, you should speak with a doctor.
Can I use birth control pills if I have heavy periods?
Generally speaking, you can use birth control pills for your heavy periods. As it does not impart any adverse effect on your menstruation flow or periods. However, you should consult a doctor first to determine the root cause of heavy bleeding. Maybe your provider may prescribe you some other kinds of pills to address the cause of heavy periods.
Conclusion
As a matter of fact, double up on birth control pills to stop bleeding is safe. It may help delay your periods or reduce the breakthrough bleeding. No doubt, you may feel nausea, but these mild symptoms may go away after some time.
Birth control pills to stop breakthrough bleeding are not harmful, even effective. However, if you have a family history or risk of blood clots, you should avoid it.
