What causes bleeding while on the birth control pills?
The most common cause of bleeding on oral contraceptives is unknown. It is theorized to be due to atrophic bleeding due to low estrogen. In other words, the lining of the uterus (endometrium) is quite thin and subject to abrasion just from normal activity. There are three other factors known to be associated with increasing the bleeding rate on pills: chlamydia infection, smoking and not taking pills. In one study, women with intermenstrual bleeding on birth control pills had a 29% incidence of chlamydia while oral contraceptive users without intermenstrual bleeding had a 11% incidence of infection versus 6% in non-pill users. Several studies have confirmed an increase in intermenstrual bleeding associated with chlamydial infection on pills. Cigarette smoking has been known to be associated with anti-estrogen effects. While new users have less and less intermenstrual bleeding with each cycle of pill use, non-smokers decrease breakthrough bleeding at a much faster rate than smokers. By
The most common cause of bleeding on oral contraceptives is unknown. It is theorized to be due to atrophic bleeding due to low estrogen. In other words, the lining of the uterus (endometrium) is quite thin and subject to abrasion just from normal activity. There are three other factors known to be associated with increasing the bleeding rate on pills: chlamydia infection, smoking and not taking pills. In one study, women with intermenstrual bleeding on birth control pills had a 29% incidence of chlamydia while oral contraceptive users without intermenstrual bleeding had a 11% incidence of infection versus 6% in non-pill users. Several studies have confirmed an increase in intermenstrual bleeding associated with chlamydial infection on pills. Cigarette smoking has been known to be associated with anti-estrogen effects. While new users have less and less intermenstrual bleeding with each cycle of pill use, non-smokers decrease breakthrough bleeding at a much faster rate than smokers. By
