Hi Amy,

I'm not sure if you can answer my question or not but I thought I would ask... I got off Birth Control last year in May and since then I have had only two regular periods (in Nov and Dec) and I spot at least once a week. I was on Birth Control for 5 years and then decided to get off since I heard it did take a year to get back to normal, but I was wondering if this was normal.

I don't have medical insurance at this time and I have taken a few pregnancy tests and they are negative. My husband and I would like to try to start having kids.

Thanks for your help!!

Renee

Renee –

As you probably know, it's not unusual to have irregular periods. So many things affect this: stress, exercise, body changes, etc.... In terms of the spotting, that can actually be caused by something more serious, like HPV or cysts. A pap smear can help you determine the former, and the latter takes more testing, but better to rule out the former first.

A local Planned Parenthood can hopefully offer you one on a sliding scale or for a modest fee, though even that can sometimes be costly. I would get it looked into at least so you can put your mind to rest. Take care.

— Amy