Hi there,

Thanks for writing in.

I am assuming your girlfriend's menstrual cycles are regular. How are her cycles? 28-32 days? Which date in this month was she expecting her periods to arrive?

There are many causes of delay in periods, eg. stress, medications, anaemia, thyroid disorders . However in your friend's case the 3 possibilities I can think of are either stress/anxiety, pregnancy or irregular cycles due to I-Pill.

There is no health problem as such because of taking I-pill twice. However, I-pill should not be taken as a regular contraceptive.

I would suggest her to wait for at least a week. If she doesn't get her periods by then, please get a urine pregnancy test done .

Since sexual intercourse took place just the next day(1 aug) of finishing her periods, the chance of pregnancy is very less ,as ovulation would not have occured if she normally has a 28-32 day cycle.

Sometimes anxiety/ stress about being pregnant itself can delay the onset of periods. Sometimes i-pill can cause delay in periods, and irregular cycles.

Tell your friend to stay calm and relax.

I hope I have answered your queries .I will be happy to answer any further queries you might have.

In case you don't have any further queries, please accept my answer. Any reviews are welcome.

Have a great day.

Regards,
Dr.Divya Kuttikrishnan

---

Thanks for writing back.

Since sexual intercourse had taken place on 9th, chance of pregnancy might be there. However , since I-pill was taken on the same day, the chance of pregnancy might be less. However, you must realize that even i-pill does not guarantee 100 % protection against pregnancy.

I-pill can cause early onset of periods or late onset of periods. In your friend's case, maybe it is following a late onset of periods.

As I said in my earlier mail, the 3 possibilities are pregnancy,stress/anxiety,or irregular menstrual cycles due to i-pill. I would advise your friend to wait for 1 week(maybe till the 5th of Sept) and then use the kit to test for pregnancy.

At any time if she develops severe abdominal pain/ back pain, please visit the doctor immediately.

Hope this helps.

---

If it is clear watery disharge, it could be due to the fact that periods is nearing.

If it is curdy white discharge, it could be due to be vaginal candidiasis.It would be best to visit a gynaecologist , who will be able to do a vaginal examination and advise on the appropriate medication based on the condition.

In the event that the pregnancy test comes back as positive, if both of you are old enough to get married and settled down, then both families should think and talk about it.

However, in the event that both of you do not want pregnancy ( if positive) to continue , there are medical methods of termination like mifepristone and misoprostol . It would be ideal if this was prescribed by a gynaecologist where your friend can go for follow up as sometimes the medications could lead to unwanted complications like excessive bleeding or severe infection (or sepsis).

I hope I have answered your queries. Please advise your friend not to be anxious and reassure her that whatever happens you will always be there for her.

---