Question
I have run out of my contraceptive pill Microgynon...and I was wondering whether I can get a prescription for them from a sexual health clinic or whether it has to be from the doctor. I was wondering, as I would have to wait ages for an appointment and im currently home from uni and im not signed up anymore
Answer
You can go to any community contraceptive clinic and most of the young peoples clinics are drop in so you do not need an appointment. The pill you are taking is a very well used one so all clinics should keep it as stock and you would be able to leave the clinic with some. Find out where your nearest clinic is by looking under the clinics section on this website.
Question
I have been on the pill for quite nearly a year and I hardly get horny at all now so I always push my boyfriend away when I used to always be horny, do you think this is the pill that has made me feel like this?
Answer
There are some people who tell us that the contraceptive pill they are on reduces their desire for sex. Please go along to talk to whomever you get the pill from and tell them. Switching to another type of pill may suit you better.
Question
Hey, im 15 and I missed my last depo shot, and had sex a week after and i haven’t had my period, could I be pregnant?
Answer
If you were due to have your last injection at 12 weeks you should still be covered contraception wise for a further 2 weeks. Do not have sex again until you have gone to have your next injection. If your next injection is after 14 weeks then you will have to avoid sex for another week after.
Question
Ive been on the pill for roughly 10 months and I have decided I want to come off it. Before I went on the pill my periods were really irregular and I used to get them really close to each other and they lasted a long time. If I come off the pill, will my periods return to how they used to be?
Answer
Periods while you are on the pill are not the same as what your body is like naturally. If you are on the two hormone pill then these "periods" are really withdrawal bleeds from the pill, very regular and often very light. Bleeding on the progesterone only pills can sometimes be irregular or infrequent, but normally light. When you stop them, it is possible that your body will go back to what is normal for you. It may have improved though so you will have to see. Remember you will have to use another method of contraception if you have sex though as you will not be protected.
Question
My girlfriend is allergic to latex; can I get latex free condoms?
Answer
Latex free condoms are produced by several condom manufacturers, often they cost a little more to buy than latex ones. Some contraceptive clinics will supply these free if someone has a true latex allergy. I suggest you phone or pop into your local service to ask. It may mean they will need to talk to the person with the allergy to discuss this.
Question
Hi, im on Microgynon, I recently took the morning after pill and the chemist told me I should use protection for 10 days after ive taken it I thought it was 7 days?
I also had sex with my boyfriend the night I forgot to take my pill, and I had sex loads of times ,but he didn’t come inside me, then I went to take my pill the next day and saw that I hadn’t taken it the day before so I took both at the same time. I completely forgot about it again, and had sex with my boyfriend,but he didn’t come inside me again...and then the day after that I went and got the morning after pill, I was in the 12 hour gap of taking it from when I had sex but then I remembered I had sex the night I missed my pill, so will the morning after pill work for both of these times even though he didn’t come inside me? Because I had sex the night I missed my pill and the day after then went to the chemist the day after that could I be pregnant? Help thanks x
Answer
The morning after pill will work for the sex that you have had for the previous 72 hours. It is good practice to use condoms for 7 days after the morning after pill, but sometimes we do suggest that longer is also a good idea.
When you have sex, the penis, when it is erect, has a small amount of clear fluid on the tip, this contains sperm, so even if your boyfriend didn't come, but was inside your vagina, there is a risk of pregnancy and infection.
I suggest that you continue to take your Microgynon 30, keep using condoms and go to the clinic 3 weeks after the last time you had unprotected sex (even if he didn't come) and ask for a pregnancy test and a Chlamydia test.
If your period is late or not as heavy as normal, go to the clinic earlier and get a pregnancy test and a Chlamydia test.
Question
I am 19 years old and have had a contraception rod in my arm for 8 months now, and didn’t have any periods or problems with is until I recently had sex with a new sexual partner and started having a period the next day after. This has worried me due to the close proximity to a new sexual partner and the fact I have not had any problems with the rod before this. I have had a recent Chlamydia test that was all clear.
Answer
Thank you for your question, the commonest cause of bleeding after sex, is Chlamydia - so it might be worth getting another test done, if this is a new partner then you should both get a sexual health screen done at the local sexual health clinic. I recommend that until you have results that show you are both clear from infection then you should use condoms when you have sex.
The bleeding could be a one off - if so it will settle down, but if it continues and you are clear from infection, pop along to your local family planning clinic and discuss the bleeding with them.
Question
Hi, I am the same person about doubling on my Mercilon pills. I'm still on my 1st packet at the mo and noticed that my discharge was a darker colour for about 2 days and me and my boyfriend had sex and I was bleeding after, could this be because my body is trying to adapt to the different hormones? I have had a Chlamydia test done in the past 3 weeks and got my results back as all clear and have slept with the same person. I bled before after sex when I took the morning after pill so Im guessing my body is trying to adapt to the different hormones?
Answer
It could be that your body is readjusting to a different level of hormone. However, Mercilon is a lower dose of hormone than many other pills and it may be that it is not quite enough to control your bleeding pattern (you still have the same protection as a contraceptive). If it does not settle down in another month then you may need to change pills again. Please go and talk to whoever gives you your pill supply and tell them what is happening.
Question
Hi, im on my 1st packet of Mercilon but I was previously on Microgynon 30 and I was wondering if I could double up my packet of Mercilon as I got a wedding to attend the same day im due on and am wearing a white dress!! So I wanted to double up on Mercilon but only on 1st packet should I do this or is it not safe?
Answer
It is fine to run two packs of Mercilon together just as you did with Microgynon; however, it is a different strength and contains a different progesterone hormone. So if you experience some spotting of blood, do not panic, your pill will still be working, but may not be controlling your bleeding pattern. If this happens when you are taking 2 packs together, stop your pill, have your normal break so that you have a proper bleed and start a new pack. Of course, it will probably all be fine, so I hope you have a lovely day at the wedding.
Question
I had sex on Saturday night but I was drunk and boy who I had sex with was drunk as well, he used a condom but we are still scared that I could got pregnant because we were dunk and we don’t remember lots, what should I do?
Answer
If you think something may have gone wrong with the use of the condom then you need to go to a clinic, a pharmacy that provides emergency contraception or you GP to discuss having emergency contraception. However you need to do this quickly as the most used emergency pill has to be taken within 72 hours of an accident happening. There are other emergency methods if you are too late for this which a nurse or doctor should be able to talk to you about.
Question
Hi im the same person that wrote about the morning after pill...I used condoms when I had sex for the 7 days after, and then never had sex until the 9th day after I took the morning after pill, but on the 9th day after taking it I never used a condom as I was told 7 days. When I had sex with my boyfriend I started bleeding, but only very lightly and ive never had that before. Im on Microgynon so I read the side affects of the morning after pill and it said it can cause spotting or your period to come earlier....a few days before I had sex on the 9th day I was experiencing period pain, could this be why I bled because of the side affects of the morning after pill? I only bled lightly for a day but I read a few questions and saw that a girl was bleeding after sex and you said it could be Chlamydia...and im scared now of what it could be the side affects or Chlamydia?
Answer
Thank you for writing back in, yes, you could be bleeding as a result of the morning after pill, also we like to make sure that someone doesn’t have Chlamydia - if they bleed after sex. I think it would be a really good idea if you came along to one of our family planning clinics for a chat and a Chlamydia test.
Question
I have been on the pill injection for two years. Me and my boyfriend want to have a baby and I was wondering what is the quickest way to get pregnant after being on the pill injection and if there is anything to help me get pregnant quicker.
Answer
I'm sure you were told when you started this method of contraception that it is often a few months after stopping that your period's etc return to normal, but everyone is different. You cannot speed up the process so be patient. While you are waiting and planning make sure you get prepared to give your pregnancy a good start, by eating healthily, cutting down on alcohol and if you or your boyfriend smoke then stop. It is also a good idea to take supplements of Folic Acid before you become pregnant and during the first 3 months. You can get these at Chemists and Health Food shops. Hope all goes well.
Question
If I stop my pill for a 7-day break on a Wednesday do I start my next packet the next Thursday?
Answer
Yes, as long as you are taking a combined Oestrogen and Progestogen pill that you have been told to take for 3 weeks and have 7 days off in-between strips and not a Progestogen only pill that you take every day.
If you swallow your last pill on a Wednesday, you then have 7 days when you don't take any pills, so yes you will start the next strip the following Thursday.
Question
Does having the implant hurt?
Answer
They nurse or doctor fitting the Implant will put a little bit of Local Anaesthetic in your arm to make the area numb. This stings a little at first. After this you will not feel any pain when the Implant is put in. When the local anaesthetic wears off you may have a small ache for a few hours.
Question
I have an implant in my arm and have had it for about 10 months now, I had a bleed 2 months ago but my doctor said that this is quite normal, however within the last week I seem to be getting little blood clots in my underwear, any idea what this could mean?
Answer
It is not unusual to get some irregular bleeding with the Implant sometimes. Some people have light bleeding and sometimes it is what we call spotting. It seems like this is what it may be. Your Implant is still working so don't worry. If the bleeding becomes a nuisance, do go and see a nurse or doctor at a Contraceptive clinic, as they can often help manage the bleeding so that you keep the implant as it is such a good method of contraception.
Question
Will taking the morning after pill affect the contraceptive pill?
Answer
If you are taking a contraceptive pill, but also need to take an emergency contraceptive pill, then you must take advice from who ever gave you the pill. You can carry on the contraceptive pills as well, but depending on which pill you are on, the reason you needed the emergency pill and which emergency pill you had to take, the advice about when/if it is affected and for how long, will be different.
Question
I am going on holiday soon, and for convenience I would like to run on 3 packs of the pill (combined pill) without the 7 day break between each, is this harmful in any way? I have done it before with 2 packs and haven't had any problems, will 3 be any different? Thankyou
Answer
There should be no problem running three packs of pills together, it isn't harmful and it is sometimes suggested if people experience side effects of cramps, headaches etc on their week off, so that they only have a break every 9/10 weeks. Most people do not experience spotting or break through bleeding with 9 weeks of pills, but a few might. Nothing is wrong and the pill will still be effective. However if you carried on taking this type of pill without a break then a lot of people would experience some bleeding at about 15 weeks of pills or so.
Do remember that if you do this, you will run out of pills a couple of weeks earlier than you would normally, so make sure you go to get more in good time.
