Is this normal? (women only)

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Is it normal to have longer periods when being on birth controll pills? Like having bleedings for more than a week?

Typically they are lighter and shorter on the pill. If they are longer than normal or if you have bleeding when you are not on the spacer pills you might want to ask your doctor about the possibility of uterine fibroids. They have to do an ultrasound to confirm that you have them. You don't mention your age, they become more likely as you age. Uterine fibroids are not life threatening but they can be supremely annoying and they only get worse.

As a health care professional, any abnormal activity in your menstrual cycle should be addressed by your GP.

Time to call the doctor, just in case

Bear in mind that on the pill you don't menstruate - no ovulation = no menstruation - the bleeding is withdrawal bleeding caused by the drop in hormones during the placebo week causing the uterine lining to weaken just enough to allow some bleeding to occur, this is why bleeding is often lighter during the use of hormonal birth control methods.

If you've just started taking this type or brand of pill then it may be down to that too - it's normal for there to be a period of adjustment and this can vary based on the pill and your own body chemistry, but if this has been carrying on for longer than three months it's not normal, rather that it be a sign of that particular type of brand of pill being inappropriate for you - in other words; time to talk to your doctor.

I have uterine fibroids they started showing up when I was 28 on ultrasound but were small so I did not have anything done which was stupid cause I had insurance then and could have just been sterilized. I have periods that are close together but they can be very painful if I don't have pain pills. One is the size of a golf ball and until I have surgery it will continue to grow slowly. I hope next year I'll have surgery.

Every woman is different. I don't and have never taken birth control pills so I can't say the effects that can have on fibroids and or your period for that matter. I do have clotting now and it can get heavy sometimes where I don't want to leave the safety of the house for that day.

I agree, you should have a chat to your doctor.

Taking the spacer pills is actually not essential at all. Research has shown that it is actually quite good for women's health to remove periods completely by taking the pill, and it does not mean that your menstruation won't go back to normal or that your fertility will be harmed if you stop taking the pill and have periods again later.

Women in 'primitive societies' begin menstruating much later than in the West, and actually menstruate fewer times in their lifetime (partly because they have more pregnancies, but this is not the only reason); and provided they are not undernourished, they remain healthier for longer.

I can't say for sure. When on it I find I have shortish 4-5 day periods.

If it were me I would not worry about it, and see what happens after the adjustment period. Although, many people in my family have used the "wait and see" method, and I'm down to very few family members.

The bleeding stopped eventually, it was probably just my body getting used to the hormones or something. But thanks everybody for your advices.

I was diagnosed with a few uterine fibroids in my late 30's. They grew, and then I had to have a hysterectomy by my early 40's. I also required 2 blood transfusions, because of so much blood loss due to heavy periods. Fibroids cause heavy bleeding, and there are rumors that some types of birth control cause fibroids.