Period Changed After Emergency Contraception?3 Checks

If you keep opening the calendar to see whether your period is late yet, put the relevant dates in one place. Include when you had unprotected sex, when you took emergency contraception and what bleeding you have noticed since.

Three checks for the next step

1. Do you have a testing date? CDC² advises a pregnancy test if there is no withdrawal bleed within three weeks after emergency contraceptive pills.²
2. Does the date account for the last unprotected sex? If you do not know when your next period is due, NHS³ guidance says to test at least 21 days after the last unprotected sex. A negative test taken too early can be unreliable. If uncertainty remains, follow the guidance on repeating the test and seeking care.³
3. Are there symptoms that need care sooner? If pregnancy is possible and bleeding occurs with lower abdominal pain, especially on one side, seek medical advice promptly, even without a positive test. Shoulder-tip pain also needs immediate advice. These can occur with ectopic pregnancy.⁴

Do not wait for a calendar date in an emergency

Call 911 or your local emergency number for sudden, intense abdominal pain with marked dizziness or fainting. These can be signs of a ruptured ectopic pregnancy.⁴

Keep the name of the emergency pill and your testing plan together. Ask about ongoing contraception too: the advice about starting or resuming hormonal methods differs after ulipristal and levonorgestrel.²

Period, Handled includes a Period Scorecard and a Flag-It list with a visit script. Use them to organize the bleeding details and questions you want answered. See the book.