No method of contraception can protect against unwanted pregnancy with a 100% guarantee. This is especially true for interrupted sexual intercourse. Or casual sex when sperm gets into the vagina. In order not to take risks, you need to take the well-known drug Postinor according to the regimen. It cannot be used more than three times a month. And even if you follow the instructions, brown discharge after Postinor is not uncommon. In this article we will try to figure out how serious these symptoms are and what measures should be taken.
Definition
Postinor belongs to the group of emergency contraception. It is effective from any day of the cycle, while other oral contraceptives require protection with a condom at the beginning of use.
The active ingredient in Postinor is levonorgestrel, which is a derivative of progesterone. Its concentration in the drug is quite high, which is why the contraceptive is not taken often.
Thanks to Postinor you can achieve the following effects:
- the egg matures much slower than usual;
- the endometrium becomes very thin, so implantation of the fertilized egg is almost impossible;
- sperm cannot reach their destination, that is, the uterus, since the mucous secretion becomes very thick.
Discharge after Postinor is quite understandable, since it is a blow to the hormonal system. The drug was created to prevent unwanted pregnancy at any cost.
This is very important if a woman is completely unprepared to have a child for any reason. Postinor must be taken within 72 hours after unprotected sexual intercourse. The drug will act on the egg in any case - at the stage of maturation and after its release.
The main thing is that you should not take it when conception has already occurred and the fetus has attached to the uterus. At best, the drug is simply useless. But at the same time, it can also have a negative impact on a woman’s health. Young girls under 16 years of age are strictly prohibited from using the drug without the knowledge of a doctor.
Treatment of brown discharge
Do not forget that much depends on the individual characteristics of the female body. So, for example, some people have a menstrual cycle that lasts 4 days, while others have much longer. It’s the same here: how much a girl weighs, what her height is, and so on is of great importance. After postinoration, blood is released 2-3 days more than what happens during menstruation.
- brown discharge after postinor, when the girl changes pads very often (every hour and even more often);
- the discharge of thick menstruation, which continues without interruption for 10-12 hours;
- spotting and clots after taking postinor, which began and lasted for more than one day;
- severe weakness, constant nausea, shortness of breath, dizziness due to the abundance of bloody discharge.
If there is no discharge of the usual red color, and only brown spotting is present, then it is worthwhile to treat your own body. To do this, many gynecologists prescribe special hormone-containing drugs to patients that stop blood flow and nourish the body with the necessary vitamins. As a rule, popular drugs that stop severe bleeding are Dicynone and Etamsilate.
Every girl should control her discharge and pay attention to how many days the effect lasts after taking Postinor. This pill is not always considered so terrible. Life is full of moments when for girls postinor did not pose any harm to anyone’s health or further pregnancy.
If there is no discharge of the usual red color, and only brown spotting is present, then it is worthwhile to treat your own body. To do this, many gynecologists prescribe special hormone-containing drugs to patients that stop blood flow and nourish the body with the necessary vitamins.
Perhaps, in the life of every woman there has been unintended and unprotected sexual intercourse, and pregnancy is not always the desired result. If it was not possible to take care of protection methods in advance, then “emergency contraception” comes to the rescue. They are designed to prevent conception after sexual intercourse.
In 95% of cases of correct use, the drug is effective in preventing unwanted pregnancy. However, the use of this product has a number of contraindications and side effects. Female representatives in most cases notice brown discharge after taking Postinor. This article will tell you whether this is a pathology or a natural phenomenon.
The high effectiveness of the drug is due to the high concentration of derivatives of the female hormone progesterone - levonorgestrel. When it enters a woman’s body, it begins an active effect on endometrial tissue. They become much thinner, which prevents the fertilized egg from gaining a foothold in it. Also, this synthetic component can provoke tissue detachment in the uterus.
Normally, this discharge should begin a week after using the medication. This will be brownish-bloody mucus, and you may feel dizzy, have swollen mammary glands, and even have an upset stomach. This is a kind of acyclic menstruation, provoked by a large amount of progesterone, which may not begin on time, but 5-7 days after using the pills.
Sometimes bleeding after Postinor can signal a particular problem. Normally, the secretion of blood and mucus continues for up to two weeks. If this phenomenon is observed longer, then this indicates a violation.
The color of the discharge may also indicate a problem. If they are bright red, bloody and thick, or accompanied by sharp pain, then you need to urgently consult a specialist.
White or yellow discharge with an unpleasant odor may indicate infection or the development of an infectious or fungal disease, since the drug does not protect against such, but only prevents unwanted pregnancy.
If after the specified period, a maximum of a month, there is no discharge, then we are talking about conception. Perhaps the pills were already used in pregnancy, or you were among the 5% for whom the drug did not work.
If pregnancy is excluded, but menstruation has not begun, then this indicates a serious hormonal disorder caused by the components of this remedy. This may occur due to an overdose or an unaccounted contraindication, a gynecological disease, or even an ectopic pregnancy. For these reasons, prolonged bleeding sometimes begins while taking this drug.
There are cases when the body reacts inadequately to the action of this drug and a woman experiences bleeding, which requires immediate consultation with a doctor. If blood comes from the vagina, the lower abdomen hurts, weakness appears, dizziness, nausea occurs, and blood pressure decreases, this means that the woman has “true” bleeding. And if left unchecked, it can lead to serious consequences, even death.
Side effects
Brown discharge instead of menstruation after Postinor is caused by a high dose of the hormone. The cycle is broken and it will take time for it to recover. This is the purpose of the drug - to unbalance the reproductive system in order to prevent conception from occurring.
According to statistics, discharge appears 5-6 days after taking Postinor. And this will be a sign that the mission has been completed successfully. Essentially, levonorgestrel artificially induces unscheduled menstruation, shortening the second phase of the cycle. And all because this substance is a gestagen.
They are steroid hormones whose levels drop before menstruation. The duration and nature of bleeding will differ from the usual menstruation. Postinor thickens the blood, so the discharge should end quickly.
Brown discharge after Postinor a week later is considered normal, because it was already mentioned above that it is after such a period of time that unscheduled endometrial detachment begins. In addition to discharge, other symptoms associated with hormonal imbalance may appear:
- breast enlargement and tenderness;
- nausea;
- prostration.
Emergency contraception has side effects, like any other drug. They must be studied before taking. One of them is spotting after Postinor. Despite the fact that the woman feels unwell, there is no danger to her health. The likelihood of such a reaction is low - only about 10% of patients had the above complaints.
Ectopic
Unfortunately, the risk, although not great, is there. Postinor can prevent pregnancy in 90% of cases. There is still 10% left. And most often it will be an ectopic pregnancy.
By preventing the embryo from fixing in the uterus, the drug is powerless if this occurs in the fallopian tube. This usually happens if the appointment time is missed. If after taking Postinor the discharge is accompanied by pain, you should consult a doctor for additional examination.
Hormones
Postinor disrupts the smooth functioning of the reproductive system, causing hormonal imbalance. Sometimes the body cannot cope with the consequences on its own. And then you need the help of a specialist.
This mainly applies to women approaching menopause, or to young girls whose periods have recently begun and, due to inexperience, had to urgently correct the situation. During such periods, hormonal changes already occur, and the progesterone hormone will aggravate it even more.
Emergency contraception should not be used frequently. If you see yellow discharge after Postinor, you can assume that the drug has worked. Additionally, it cannot be taken. It is advisable to take care of milder contraception before planned sexual intercourse. The optimal dosage of Postinor is once every six months. Otherwise, unscheduled bleeding may begin, lasting a month or more.
Taking Postinor can provoke any pathology, as well as cause an exacerbation of a disease dormant in the body. If a woman has fibroids or changes in the endometrium (hyperplasia), there is a high probability of bleeding. It can only be stopped with special medications.
Factors influencing discharge
Taking Postinor can cause bloody discharge that has no color shades and an unpleasant odor . Moreover, their appearance will not be accompanied by burning or itching in the intimate area.
If the described symptoms appear along with brown discharge, you should urgently consult a doctor, as they indicate the development of infectious, bacterial or fungal pathologies of the reproductive system, inflammatory processes in its organs.
Smell
Against the background of hormonal changes, the body's immune system may weaken, which is why pathogenic microorganisms will begin to actively function in the vagina. Most often, such processes provoke the appearance of thrush. Discharge from candidiasis is accompanied by a sour odor. The development of such a disease can aggravate the condition of the body, so if an unpleasant odor occurs, you should urgently visit a gynecologist and carry out appropriate treatment.
Character
It is considered normal that after taking Postinor, a girl begins to have spotting, consisting of blood and mucus. They can last less than 2 weeks and then stop on their own.
It is considered a pathology if “artificial” menstruation is profuse. In this case, bleeding lasts longer than normal periods. In such a situation, you need to consult a doctor, since such a reaction can be triggered by serious hormonal imbalances.
Color
Normally, discharge after taking Postinor should be pink. If bright blood appears, which is accompanied by severe pain in the lower abdomen, you should immediately consult a doctor, as this may indicate uterine bleeding.
White or yellow discharge accompanied by an unpleasant odor indicates the presence of an infectious or fungal disease. This is due to the fact that the drug is not a prophylactic agent, but only protects against unwanted pregnancy.
Overdose
If we are talking about an overdose, then the picture will be different. The instructions indicate that the drug is taken no more than two tablets, following the scheme. It is necessary to maintain an interval of about 12 hours.
It happens that pregnancy is so scary that a woman decides to take double the dose at once. The resulting hormonal imbalance can lead to heavy bleeding. And this is already a threat to life. So, only brown periods after Postinor can be called normal, and not the loss of large volumes of blood.
Menstruation after Postinor
Regulations after emergency contraception are most often violated, but not grossly and without complications.
If the changes seriously affect women's health, it is necessary to take measures to stop bleeding and restore hormonal levels.
When should we go?
There are two possible scenarios when menstruation begins after Postinor:
- A woman’s menstrual cycle is not disrupted and the rules come according to the “calendar”, while slight bleeding can be observed immediately after using the contraceptive drug.
- Menstruation appears earlier or later than due, i.e. the processes of maturation and release of the egg into the uterine cavity are disrupted.
Both options are considered normal.
A generalized analysis of clinical observations shows that menstruation appears in women 2-7 days after taking the second Postinor tablet. As this bleeding continues, regular periods may begin, which is common when using contraception.
How long is normal?
When menstrual bleeding occurs on time, it lasts as usual (4-7 days). An increase in the duration of regulation for several days after using Postinor is also a variant of the norm, in cases where they are moderate in nature.
If there are significant deviations from the normal course of menstruation (severe pain, increased volume of discharge), you should contact an antenatal clinic.
Thus, after using Postinor, the period when you expect your period to appear may deviate from the usual by 1-7 days. If they haven’t “arrived”, after a week you can conduct an independent examination to determine if you are pregnant. For any result (negative test or positive), it is important to contact a gynecologist.
If the drug was unable to prevent an unwanted pregnancy, then in the future it develops normally and women give birth to healthy and full-fledged babies.
Video about emergency contraception
Pregnancy
It was said above that levonorgestrel should not be taken by pregnant women. But it also happens that conception occurred earlier, but no one knows about it yet. Or some naively believe that Postinor can cause early miscarriage if implantation has already occurred. This is wrong.
In this case, after taking Postinor there is no discharge, but there should be one within a week. But after a while bleeding will begin or a long-term “spot” will appear. And at the same time, the woman begins to feel worse and worse. In this case, consultation with a doctor is required. Curettage and antibiotics may be necessary to prevent further inflammation.
Reasons for delay
There are several options why there is no period after taking Postinor:
- Firstly, pregnancy is still possible (in 5% of cases).
- Secondly, Levonorgestrel can cause hormonal disruptions in the functioning of the entire body.
In medical practice, there are situations when the menstrual cycle in women is disrupted for a long time (3-4 months) and long-term drug therapy is required to restore it.
A delay in mensis can be triggered by the peculiarities of blood circulation in patients; if there is a tendency to increased blood clotting, this contraceptive enhances it.
Pregnancy after taking Postinor
Treatment with certain antiulcer drugs, for example, Lansoprazole, or barbiturates (sedatives), when used simultaneously with Postinor, may cause a delay in regulation.
Taking Postinor during menstruation
The use of the drug at this time is irrational, since the natural process of mucous membrane rejection occurs in the uterus, so artificial stimulation is not needed.
In addition, taking a contraceptive may cause increased bleeding or stop it (cycle failure).
How to find out about pregnancy without a test? Read the article about the signs of conception, ways to determine pregnancy without a test, the use of iodine, baking soda and the reliability of such methods.
Can you get pregnant if you have sex before your period? Details here.
