What's going on with me?

[Barefoot~Baker]

Hi :)

So...I'm nursing my 14 month old son 3 times a day.  I've been getting regular periods for about 4 months, and before that they were irregular.  I'm on the minipill.

The issue is - I'm 2 weeks late and not pregnant ( I tested 2 days ago).  I've had pms for about 3 weeks and for the past 3 days my cramps have been so painful, they've felt like early labor, with back pain.  So far t his morning the pain has eased up.  I called my ob/gyn yesterday to ask what I should do and whether i should go to the er and he said there was nothing to worry about, but didn't offer any explanation.  I usually have my period within 1 day of cramping but nothing is happening.

What's going on?  Any ideas?  This is starting to drive me crazy because I keep thinking I could be pregnant but the tests say no.  I went through a course of antibiotics about 4-5 weeks ago and forgot about the effects it has on the pill, and did not take any other precautions when having sex.

I think that's about everything...help!  

[LLQ1011]

No Idea. I have gotten pregnant on the mini pill before, AND its super messed up my cycles and caused weird bleeding cramping and side effects. I hate that birth control.

Keep taking tests. I didn;t get a positive with my son until 15 days after my period. Good luck!

[GoBecGo]

Well, i once had a 54 day cycle (and wasn't pregnant) on the minipill, it messed my cycles up big time.

And i once got pregnant on the combined pill because of antibiotics, but the antibiotics (which didn't work and i was given a second course of - all for an STD i DID NOT HAVE (i had an e.coli UTI)) were teratogenic so i got pregnant but it was a blighted ovum which i miscarried at 9 weeks.  I didn't know i was pregnant until i miscarried so i've no idea if an HPT would've shown +ve or not.

[Barefoot~Baker]

OMG!!!  Thanks....still no period for me, day 15.  I'm going to try to either get to the dr or get another test.  Thanks!

[Barefoot~Baker]

Update - went to my ob/gyn today and saw the nurse for an urgent appt.  They gave me a urine test and a blood test - both negative.

I'm 15 days late now....they said that they could start testing for infections.  I said I would wait a few more days.

Does the antibiotic mess with your cycle if you're on the minipill?  I've got to reread your messages.  I can't think straight, this is very distressing for me.  A couple of weeks ago there was one day where i had very light bleeding for one day, after the course of antibiotics.  It reminded me of implantation bleeding.  If it wasn't, what was it?  

[GoBecGo]

It depends on the antibiotic but i'm pretty sure the minipill is UNAFFECTED by almost all antibiotics.  It was the COMBINED pill that i fell pregnant on.

Honestly that 54 day cycle i had on the minipill was the l-o-n-g-e-s-t time of my life!  I had a 6 month old baby by an ex (we spilt when she was 8weeks), i was in a new relationship with someone who i liked a lot but DID NOT want to have a baby with at that time (i've since had one baby with him and i'm gestating our second, so it's a happy story, it was just very early days) and i was TERRIFIED that i'd fallen pregnant.

I did a test every 3 days from the 31st day (having been on a 29 day cycle).  They were always negative but i was soooo worried.  But then, day 54 i began to spot, and the next day AF arrived as if nothing had happened.  I about died of relief.  From the experiences of friends i would say menstrual disruption is VERY common on the minipill, the negative tests the gyno did are good news.  Hang in there!

ETA - that spotting could have BEEN your period.  In an anovulatory cycle (common on the minipill) you grow almost no lining, and can spot it out over a day or 2.

[Barefoot~Baker]

Wow, thanks.  I never thought that could have been my period lol.  I'm on day 56 if not, I wish I could remember the date that happened.  I'm going to try to stop worrying.  Thanks again!
 

[Barefoot~Baker]

Ok I'm going to ruminate - if that was my period, why have I been having major pms symptoms already?  That would mean that my period wouldn't be due for 5 more days and I've already gone through my symptoms that I usually get within a couple of days of it coming.

[GoBecGo]

I had sore boobs (my normal PMT symptom, followed by moodiness) sporadically and at random on the minipill.  Sometimes they came and went 3 times before i eventually got a period.  I complained repeatedly about it all to my GPO and eventually after i weaned DD1 i got a Mirena coil (which back then wasn't recommended for nursing women, though i don't know why because it's the same hormones as the minipill but at 10% the circulating dose!) which was fine for about 18months then i began to get the progesterone-symptoms on that too...

Honestly, the minipill throws a LOT of wild cards in terms of menstrual stuff for me.  I would take the negative blood and urine pregnancy tests and relax. If that was your period those few weeks ago but you have early PMT now, maybe you're on a shorter cycle due to the short bleed and no ovulation.  Or maybe that was just random spotting due to the hormonal cosh of the minipill and your "real" period is very late and going to be a doozy.  Or maybe, or maybe....  

You're not pregnant.  This is the most important information.  As of right now, you're not pregnant.  Can you remember when you had sex?  When i was on the minipill and having my epic 54 day cycle (i had NO spotting, it was definitely 54 days!) i went to the Dr, with my -ve tests, and she told me to count forwards 16 days from the unprotected intercourse (or in my case just intercourse, since i was, as far as i knew, perfect at taking the minipill, but which for you would be 16 days from the antibiotics i guess) and know that if i wasn't +ve by then i wasn't pregnant.  For me that was something like day 46, which wasn't an immense relief, since it was almost as long as i waited for AF, but i did feel a little better when the test i did on/after that day stayed negative.

[Barefoot~Baker]

AF is here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!