What if i start my birth control before my period?

So you’ve decided to hop on the birth control train and take control of your reproductive health- GREAT! But now, the question arises: when should you start taking it? More specifically, what happens if you start before your period?

Well, don’t fret. We’ll lay out all the details for you below so that you feel prepared and ready to go.

Understanding Your Menstrual Cycle

Before we dive into whether or not starting birth control before your period is a good idea or not, it’s important to understand how your menstrual cycle works.

On average, a menstrual cycle lasts 28 days (but can range anywhere from 21-35 days). The first day of your period is considered Day 1 of your cycle. Around Day 14 (again this can vary), ovulation occurs – meaning an egg is released from one of your ovaries in anticipation of fertilization. If fertilization doesn’t occur during this window, then the egg will dissolve and be shed with your uterine lining during menstruation.

The most fertile time for someone with regular cycles is days 10-17 (if using a ‘typical’ contraceptive method ie: condoms), excluding any hormonal contraception like an IUD or implants which essentially make ovulation irrelevant as it could cause “breakthrough” pregnancy.

How Birth Control Works

There are two main types of birth control pills – combined oral contraceptives which contain both estrogen and progesterone hormones; and mini-pills that only have progestin in them. There are also many other forms including injections but today let’s focus on pills-and just know they do work by primarily controlling hormone levels in different ways!

Both types stop ovulation from occurring by regulating hormone secretion accordingly so nothing weird happens up there outside our little uterus cocoon/\combo/.

For Combined Oral Contraceptives or COCs, estrogen and progesterone levels progressively increase from the beginning of the pill pack until they are at a constant high right before the placebo week when you take reminder pills. Once those hormone levels dip (during your period), then we go back to start another new pack.

Progestin-only pills on the other hand work by thickening cervical mucus which makes it more difficult for sperm to get through that barrier and fertilize any eggs hanging out!

What Happens if You Start Birth Control Before Your Period?

So, to answer our original question- it’s completely fine! In fact, most providers nowadays will recommend starting birth control as soon as possible – whether or not you’re on your menstrual cycle. This is especially true for certain types of hormonal contraceptives like copper-T intrauterine contraceptive devices.

Starting earlier also gives us faster contraception coverage: no worrying about ovulation timings or relying entirely on condoms in between packs’ remainder/pills.

If anything though, starting early could sometimes mean experiencing spotting (light bleeding) outside of regular periods during anytime in-between but fear not (!), this should get better with time once hormones balance up again!

Notes

Here are few things to keep in mind when thinking about taking birth control before your period:

- Alert/ask provider if using antibiotics beforehand
- Missing days at beginning can heighten risk around ovulation day 
- No backup method required unless patient is over 35+ who smokes OR has clotting predisposition.

Like any medication there’s always minor risks involved depending on health factor situations certainly worth a mention too.

Lastly don’t forget if switching brands or trying anything beyond oral contraceptives whatsoever , talk with an OB/GYN first so you have their specific evaluating opinion given every individuals different unique circumstances…and just think: fewer trips to pharmacist/far fewer worries because pregnancy scares ain’t fun for nobody!

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