Plan B One-Step and Spotting: What Users Say

• Ano...
• May 25, 2021

For Emergency Contraception "I swore that I would come back to this website the day I got my period because it kept me sane. I had sex on my ovulation day and took Plan B 24 hours after. I am not on birth control too. He thought he pulled out, but being that we had sex a few times, we weren’t really sure. I was PETRIFIED. I cried for 2 weeks. On day 10 after taking it, I started spotting just like what implantation bleeding looks like. I talked to every person under the sun looking for answers and advice, but I still had to wait it out for the period. The spotting happened for 4 days straight, where it then turned into a period. I was scared to death. I took 3 pregnancy tests, all negative and still didn’t believe it. Stay off doing internet searches, PMS, Plan B side effects, and pregnancy side effects are all the same. Stay off your computer and phone, don't do all the internet searching, and don’t spend $45 extra dollars on pregnancy tests. Take one the day of your missed period. Plan B is expensive for a reason, it works even when ovulating! You got this!"

• ano...
• July 19, 2021

For Emergency Contraception "I promise I’d come back on this to write my experience. On May 20, I had unprotected sex, but there was only pre-cum involved. So, I bought Plan B, approximately 40 minutes after and I was ovulating during that time. About 5-7 days after I took Plan B, I spotted for about 4 days. Weeks after, I was convinced that I was pregnant by all the symptoms I had. I remember taking 2 pregnancy tests about a week before my period was supposed to come (don’t do that), it was literally a waste of money. Then I took a pregnancy test after a week of my period being late, and it came out negative. I know I took about 6 pregnancy tests, all came back negative. Overall, my period was 38 days late, literally almost 2 months late. Thank goodness, I got my period today, July 19, after having my last period on May 13. I pray for all of you ladies who are currently going through the scary situation I went through to stay strong and have faith that your period will come. I truly hope this helps someone."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 7, 2021

For Emergency Contraception "This has been the roughest 2 weeks of my life, but I promised whenever my period came, I would write on here. Feb 21st, the day after my ovulation day but still in my fertile window, my BF fully came in me after the condom broke. He bought the Plan B 45 minutes later, and I immediately took it. I’m not even close to the age that I want to have kids, so I was scared for my life. I did an internet search on EVERYTHING. Reading these reviews helped me, but did not stop me from stressing. I experienced a little bit of nausea after taking it, but I think that was just me overthinking. I also had all my PMS symptoms like sore boobs, back fatigue, and mild cramps. Then just yesterday, I had spotting similar to implantation bleeding (internet said so), and I was freaking out, but today the flow is heavier, and it’ll probably get heavier as the week goes. I just wanted to say, don’t stress, don’t put a stop to your daily life. And PRAY! Even if you're not religious, just believe in something :) Hope this helps someone."

• Aan...
• October 11, 2020

For Emergency Contraception "I was very dumb and was not using condoms or BC. On my day of ovulation, I was convinced he didn't pull out efficiently. The next morning, I took Plan B. The initial effects were not bad at all. My stomach felt a little off but barely noticeable. 5 days later, I started spotting brown which then turned red for about 6 days. I knew this was not my period and apparently this is common. My stomach was bloated all month, and I had really weird cramping all month. This pill creates similar side effects as if you were pregnant, so really try not to think about it because it's going to freak you out. After 2 weeks of not getting my period, I got a negative pregnancy test but my period still wasn't there. My period ended up coming 21 DAYS LATE. My best advice is to trust this pill and try not to google anything. Your mind will really get the best of you and convince you you're pregnant."

• Sli...
• March 19, 2021

For Emergency Contraception "I took Plan B on February 9, an hour or two after the deed was done - no protection, and he came inside. I was scheduled to ovulate on February 15. I spotted exactly 1 week later, lasted around 2 days, and it was a dark brown color. I felt completely normal 2 weeks after I took Plan B. After that, I started to feel extremely emotional and anxious. My scheduled period day (March 2nd) came by, and she didn’t show up, I have NEVER been late. Pregnancy tests were negative, thankfully. 11 days late, I started feeling some pre-period cramps. I was hopeful, these came and went for 5 days. It took a total of 16 DAYS for my period to finally come through. The pill did its purpose. I would take it again, but believe me, I learned my lesson. I don’t care how unsexy a condom is, I'm going to protect myself and my girl, as we all should! So don’t worry, sisters!! Be patient and STAY OFF THE INTERNET! I would come here to ease my anxiety, and that’s why I’m here to share my experience. Sending lots of love."

• KM5...
• June 6, 2017

For Emergency Contraception "Okay ladies, I have decided to share my experience with Plan B One-Step to hopefully help ease even just a few minds, because I know just how bad this situation sucks and how you are searching high and low for some honest feedback. No matter what I say here, you will still be freaking out for a while and overthinking every little thing you feel within your body. Just try your best to be positive and keep busy. Alright, so here goes the story: On Apr. 9, I had sex with a male partner and the condom broke. We didn't notice until the deed was done. Immediately, I thought 'OMG, we are screwed'. I had finished my last period on Apr. 4 (I was now dangerously close to ovulation). The next morning (approximately 6-7 hours later), we went to the pharmacy to get emergency contraception. I took the pill immediately WITH FOOD. The food part is very important. The pill can make you nauseous, and if you vomit soon after taking it, it obviously will not work. The pill contains very high levels of Levonorgestrel, a synthetic version of the hormone Progestin (aka the pregnancy hormone). When you become pregnant, your body produces high levels of Progestin, which prevents your ovaries from releasing an egg (because you wouldn't want your body to be ovulating while you are already pregnant). So, in a sense, the pill tricks your body into thinking it is pregnant and therefore your ovaries do not release an egg for the sperm that is now inside of you to fertilize. The effectiveness of this all comes down to timing. The pill's job is to temporarily stop ovulation, so if you have already ovulated, the chances of it working are lowered. This doesn't mean you are totally screwed! There isn't much conclusive evidence (that I have been able to find), but it is said that even shortly after ovulation, the pill can help prevent a newly fertilized egg from implanting in the uterine wall. It is important to follow the advice to take the pill within 72 hours of the incident because sperm can live inside of you for approximately 5 days, and the longer you let it go, the closer you get to ovulating, and the better chance those little suckers have of locating your egg! Back to the fact that the pill temporarily stops ovulation. This means that Plan B is NOT an abortion pill! So whether you are worried to take it because you are pro-life or you are thinking it will terminate an established pregnancy, it WILL NOT DO THIS! The pill's job is to take action before the sperm and egg ever meet. Now onto the stuff that will literally exhaust you... The side effects. I'm going to be honest here and tell you that looking up your side effects is going to make you think you are pregnant for sure. Almost every possible side effect of Plan B mimics the signs of pregnancy. You could experience: nausea, abdominal cramping, fatigue, headaches, dizziness, vomiting, and spotting. If you are concerned about any of these side effects, contact your doctor. They will be your best source of support through this. I experienced mild abdominal cramping (like period cramps) the next couple of days after taking the pill and 'spotting' about a week later. The spotting was what concerned me. When I read that you 'may experience some spotting', I thought a light little speck here and there, however for me, it was almost exactly like one of my periods. My periods are generally quite light (lucky, I know) and my 'spotting' was almost the exact same, just slightly lighter and lasted about 3-4 days. It started out fairly bright red and then by the last day turned to a darker red, almost brownish color. I later found out that this is quite normal. Throughout the duration of my worrisome experience, I took 3 home pregnancy tests to help ease my mind a bit. I took one 21 days after the incident, another 6 days later, and then one like 4 weeks after that (just because I was feeling particularly worried that day). All 3 read negative. This helped settle my mind somewhat. Also, a little info that may be a bit TMI, but about 2 weeks after taking the pill I got a yeast infection (see, TMI). On top of worrying about everything else, I now had a painful and embarrassing infection to add to my list! I was freaking out because I wasn't sure what it was at first (painful urination, labia painful to the touch). Upon +++ research on my own, I found out that this is another possible side effect of the pill. The increased hormones in the pill can cause your body to produce an excessive amount of natural yeast. The same thing can happen to women during pregnancy due to the same reason. So if this happens to you, it's uncommon but not unheard of. The biggest worry I had throughout this entire experience was when in the world was I going to get my period?! The pill can and probably will mess with your cycle. It definitely did for me! I'm not sure if it had anything to do with my size, but I'm thinking that it might have. I am fairly petite (115 lbs) and the pill is the same dosage for everyone. I ended up missing an entire period! Talk about going out of mind! Everywhere I read said that the pill could delay your period by a week or so, but nowhere could I find anything about it making you skip an entire period! Just as I was mustering up the plan to make a doctor's appointment, my period arrived! Exactly one month late. Again, I can't stress enough to talk to your doctor if something doesn't seem right! I really hope you found some kind of relief in reading this. There is no sure-shot way to know Plan B has worked unless you get a blood test from your doctor or are graced with your Aunt Flo so do your absolute best not to worry yourself sick. Remember, stress can have an effect on your cycle as well. I found it most helpful to confide what I was going through in one really good, trustworthy friend who helped bring me back to reality when my worry was spinning me out of control. I hope everything works out for you, and you share your experiences with others going through the same, terrifying experience. Good luck and think positive!"

• Lin...
• August 21, 2020

For Emergency Contraception "I don't understand people who give Plan B a low rating because of the side effects. The purpose of this pill is to prevent pregnancy, not make you feel good! And if its purpose was successful, give it the rating it deserves! People need to understand that this is like dropping a hormonal bomb in your body - yes, your cycle will be messed up for a while, but anything is better than an unwanted pregnancy. I have taken Plan B three times now. This time I was really nervous because I took it on my ovulation day. One week after taking it, I started spotting with light cramping. I was scared that the spotting was implantation bleeding, but eventually the bleeding got heavier and turned into my period 8 days later. Plan B has worked every time I have taken it so far. Ladies, please be patient and remain calm."

• Ann...
• July 8, 2021

For Emergency Contraception "Let me just tell y'all that these past two months have been a roller coaster of a ride for me. So babe and I did the deed on May 22nd, the day after my period. Honestly, I don't know if he came in me or not, but to give me peace of mind, I went and bought Plan B on May 23rd, approximately 26-28 hours after the deed was done. I was beating myself up because I didn't use any contraceptive and I felt really silly. The day after I took the pill, I had a slight headache. Four days later, I began to have spotting. I spotted starting on May 28th and ended on June 3rd. My due date for my cycle was on June 14th. I have been bloated, nauseous, constipated, had headaches, felt fatigued, and been very moody. I began to stress and panic. My anxiety got the best of me and I went into depression. Honestly, if I had never found this website, I would be more of a mess than I am now. PLEASE. DON'T. GOOGLE. ANYTHING. Trust the pill. After 23 days, I finally got my period today on July 7th."

• Lor...
• May 1, 2020

For Emergency Contraception "So we had unprotected sex on the last day of my period and 3 days after period. He came in me both times. I have irregular period time that could happen 18-28 days randomly, and I never had a late period in my whole life, they are always less than 28 days. So I started to get nervous since Google told me irregular period time could cause early ovulation too. I took Plan B 40 hours after yeah, I know it's late. Some spotting showed up a week later. My period didn't arrive on the expected day, and I already said I never had a late period, so by the time 28 days came around without a period, I was totally freaking out. Guys, I know my body and I know how it reacts. I always get breakouts on my face and like lower back pain, but none of those signs showed up. I found these comments really helpful, so I relaxed, and a week later, I finally got my period. No pain, but I did notice a larger amount of flow. My advice is DON'T GOOGLE ANYTHING. You are just freaking yourself out. Just give it time and patience."

• Anonymous
• July 30, 2020

For Emergency Contraception "To the teenage girl reading this, YOU WILL BE okay. I said I’d write a review of this. It’s been the worst month of my life, but one day late my period came. I had spotting similar to implantation bleeding 5 days after taking the pill, and nausea, headaches, and had to pee. So basically every pregnancy symptom in the book. I had sex without a condom on the last day of my period, and he pulled out, so I probably shouldn’t have taken it, but I did. It honestly gave me so much anxiety and stuff, but just take a deep breath and let it do its thing. Try not to convince yourself you're pregnant because that makes it so much worse. You’ll get better."

• lca...
• April 12, 2021

For Emergency Contraception "After reading EVERY single review on this website, I made sure to write one myself if Plan B worked. I had my period on Feb 6th for 6 days that ended on the 11th. I had unprotected sex Feb 13th. My boyfriend didn't finish in me, but it was the first time we didn't use a condom at all (I'm not on birth control). On Feb 14th, we went unprotected again, but for a few minutes until we put a condom on. I decided to take Plan B on the 15th. The only symptom was a horrible headache. A week later, I started spotting for about 4 days with cramps. After this, I didn't get my next period for 43 DAYS! I think because I don't use birth control and the excessive stress caused my body to go whack. During this time, I took 5 pregnancy tests, all negative. I continued to have sex throughout, just more safe. My advice is to stay OFF the internet and try to be calm. Another thing, everyone's body is different, so don't worry if your experience is different from others. You're going to be okay!"

• Anonymous
• August 25, 2020

For Emergency Contraception "Ladies, don't stress. Most of the time, this pill works! I'm writing this because I know how much I stressed waiting for my period to finally arrive, and these reviews calmed me down and made me feel like I wasn't alone. My only side effects were fatigue and a few days of spotting starting around 5 days after I took the pill. Finally, after about 2 weeks past my expected period, it finally came! Try not to stress, which I know is hard, but stress really does only delay your period more. Hope this helps!"

• Veq...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 25, 2020

For Emergency Contraception "You’re probably scrolling right now super anxious and stressed, so I say calm down and let the pill work its magic. I’m certain it was on ovulation day, the condom broke, he said he did a risky pull out but I honestly don’t trust the pulling out method at all!!! Lol I just don’t trust anyone enough to beat biology like that, and I don’t even want to think about children till I’m 30. I dragged him to immediately buy me Plan B afterwards (about 20 minutes later) and took it in the parking lot. About 5 days later, I started to get super bloated, loss of appetite, crazy mood swings, nausea, tender breasts, and a rise in temperature. Another 4 days and cramping arrived, I saw spotting (like literal red dots) on the 4th day, and that definitely made me panic, but the next day I saw clots and regular flow. Symptoms were awful, but it did its job, and that’s all that matters."

• Ano...
• February 4, 2020

For Emergency Contraception "To whoever is reading this: You’re probably stressed, anxious, and worried. But trust the pill, you will be absolutely fine"

• Anonymous
• December 15, 2019

For Emergency Contraception "Honestly, reading these reviews really helped me get through it so I promised myself I would write one too. I am 19, and it was probably the day after my period ended, around Nov 4th. My boyfriend and I were having unprotected sex, and he came in me. I didn't take the pill until 2 days later. I had every symptom. DO NOT GOOGLE ANYTHING, you will convince yourself you are pregnant like I did. Just remember, even though the symptoms are the same, they wouldn't show up so early. It's just a side effect of the pill. I was nauseous, cramping, had weird discharge, and about 4 or 5 days later, I had light spotting that I thought was implantation bleeding. My period was late, and at the same time, I started throwing up, I thought it was morning sickness. Two weeks after my missed period, I took a pregnancy test because they are most accurate 7+ days after your normal period, and it was negative. I was SO RELIEVED. Just now, almost 3 1/2 weeks later, I got my period. Just relax and don't think about it the pill definitely works."

• int...
• August 28, 2020

For Emergency Contraception "DO NOT STRESS!!!! So, I took Plan B after the condom broke during sex, one day after my period (day 6 of my cycle). I took the pill about an hour after. Sometimes my period comes on day 21, so I wanted to be safe just in case I ovulated early. About 5 days after I took the pill, I started spotting (but kinda heavily) a dark brown color. That progressed into a decent amount of blood, enough to warrant a tampon. The bleeding lasted for about 3 days, but wasn't super heavy. I also had cramps for about an hour, but they were very light. I've taken Plan B twice before, and only had light bleeding one of those times. Some time passes, to about a week and a half before my period is supposed to come. I start feeling pain in my lower back, very light. I'm getting bored of writing this, to be honest, but I just got my period on day 31 of my cycle. DON'T STRESS!!!"

• Ano...
• June 5, 2020

For Emergency Contraception "Took the pill an hour after unprotected sex (he did not withdraw, I am not on birth control). I had period-like bleeding 7 days after taking the pill, which I assumed was my period coming early, but it only lasted about three days. I began to experience my usual period symptoms 10 days later (mild cramping, general achy-ness), but no period. My symptoms got SIGNIFICANTLY worse in the next few days. Extremely sore breasts, moderate cramping (constant), very light spotting. I had taken the morning after pill one other time in the past and did not experience any of these symptoms, which made me EXTREMELY worried that it hadn’t worked this time. My period FINALLY started over a week later (symptoms continued even after period came). This pill affected me physically and mentally. I was extremely anxious and most of my symptoms were not normal for my cycle. I promised myself to never take this pill again (yes, symptoms were that bad. I was absolutely convinced that I was pregnant)."

• Bee...
• February 5, 2020

For Emergency Contraception "• 1/21 unprotected sex, no withdrawal, 1-2 a.m. (thanks, Wine) • Checked period tracking app. It was day 1 of my ‘fertile window’. Took Plan B 12 hrs later. • Cycle is irregular, so unsure when I was ovulating. • 1/27 spotting, sort of brownish red quickly changed to light pink. Not heavy enough for a tampon. Googled & thought this could be implantation bleeding. • Sporadic spotting continues for 8 days. • 1/29 INCREDIBLY sore breasts, very tired, aching and cramping in back and hips. • Most of those things are standard for my body with PMS (minus the spotting). • 2/5 Aunt Flo has come. Period is early. And heavy. Definitely no longer spotting. 2 weeks stressed, convinced myself I was pregnant and symptoms were coinciding with that. I took 4 pregnancy tests. I lost sleep. I read like, 40 pages of reviews on this website. (What a psycho) Don’t be like me. Trust this medicine and your body."

• Rel...
• August 7, 2014

For Emergency Contraception "I'm writing this for people who I know are probably trying to find relief in these reviews, and I did the same thing, so I'm going to offer my experience to help them out. My girlfriend and I had unprotected sex. I was nervous, so she took Plan B about 26-28 hours afterward, and then the terrible waiting began. Around day 7 and 8, she started spotting and cramping, and finally, on the 9th day, she got her period. So, relax, because this pill is very effective."

• AWa...
• July 28, 2020

For Emergency Contraception "I promised I’d share my experience for anyone out there who is stressing! I had an unexpected hookup and trusted the guy who said he did not cum inside me. (Stupid, I know.) About 2 days after the hookup, I decided to just buy a Plan B pill to help ease my anxiety. I was STRESSED waiting for my period to come. Stay off the internet and do not freak yourself out. My period was late about 14 days with some light spotting in between. Now I am on my period full-blown, never been happier. Don’t stress, ladies, because that can prolong the wait for your period as well!"

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 14, 2021

For Emergency Contraception "Trust the pill!! I literally took it around 4 hours after the condom slipped and he came inside. This was a day before my ovulation. The next three days, I had very light pink spotting, and I thought this was ovulation spotting, as I always spot during ovulation, and I freaked out! After a few days, the worst cramps started. Backaches, abdominal pain, dizziness, and my boobs were SORE!! Experienced every single pregnancy symptom for three whole weeks!! The cramps were persistent, and I panicked so, so much! But my period came RIGHT ON TIME!! I’m so, so thankful and happy that it worked! Please don’t make the mistake of searching the internet, it will make you go crazy! Calm down and trust the pill, it works!!"

• sum...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 10, 2019

For Emergency Contraception "I wanted to share my experience because I really struggled to find someone who had taken two Plan B tablets in 1 month. No one I know in real life or online. Hopefully, this will help someone. July 31st to August 4th, I had my regular period. August 14th, I believed that the condom we used had slipped, so I took a Plan B the next day. 12 days later, I had spotting for 3 days straight. August 31st, I had a condom break and took a Plan B that day. I was freaking out. 2 Plan B's in two weeks. I didn’t know what it was gonna do to my body. I took many pregnancy tests from 2 weeks from the incident onwards. I missed my period for the month of September and didn’t get my period until October 10th."

• Pep...
• February 22, 2021

For Emergency Contraception "On the 16.10.2020, I had unprotected sex with a friend of mine (stupid, I know). Anyway, I took Plan B 24 hours later, due to being too scared to talk about it. I experienced spotting 5 days after taking it (14th day of my cycle). I knew it wasn't implantation bleeding, but I also knew that it was not my period. The days passed, and I waited for my actual period. I was so freaked out because I googled so much. While I waited for my period, I felt like a zombie. On the 35th day of my cycle, I took a pregnancy test, which came out negative. I took the second one on the 38th day (my period was already 9 days late at that time). It too was negative, but I worried so much. In the end, my period came 15 DAYS LATE! Don't freak out, ladies. Keep calm, breathe, talk to someone. It's gonna be alright, everything will be okay ♡♡♡"

• Sun...
• February 28, 2017

For Emergency Contraception "Ok, so just like all of you, I took Plan B. My boyfriend and I had unprotected sex a day after I finished my period. Not sure if he came in me or not, I IMMEDIATELY went to Walgreens to buy Plan B. The waiting game was hard. I spotted a week after taking Plan B, and my actual period was 3 days late. Here I am, sitting here typing this with such great relief. Guys, I thought I was pregnant. I had ALL these terrible symptoms and signs of pregnancy, but guess what? PLAN B DOES WORK. DO NOT BE PARANOID, JUST GIVE IT SOME TIME. YOU WILL BE OK, I PROMISE. I hope this gives you guys relief and peace of mind. I felt like a zombie for almost a month because I was terrified. IT DOES WORK. Sending good vibes to whomever may need it. P.S. Don't think the worst."

• the...
• October 30, 2013

For Emergency Contraception "I had sex on the last day of my period, then I took Plan B 11 hours after I had sex. A week after taking the pill I experienced brown discharge, which was heavy like a regular period the first 2 days, then turned into spotting for the next 3 days. My regular period usually lasts 5 days, so I figured the pill just made me have a fake period to trick my body into getting rid of the egg before it got fertilized. I have a period app on my iPhone that tells me when my period is going to come and tells me how many days I have between cycles, for me, it's 28 days. So, I counted 28 days from my last day of brown discharge, and the date my period should have come was the 29th of October, and it did!! I hope this helps someone out there!"