Brief Answer:
There is no reason for you to worry- it is normal to bleed from missed pill

Detailed Answer:
Hello, and I hope I can help you today.

The outside of woman's cervix has a very varied appearance between individuals, just like the skin on the outside of the body. There can be areas on the cervix that appear red from the development of glandular cells (called ectropion) that are a normal variant and are not a risk for cancer or any medical issue. Ectropion is normally present in young girls, during pregnancy, and in most women taking hormonal contraceptives. Many normal women also have some red patches on their cervix.

An experienced gynecologist should be able to recognize ectropion and I am sure that is most likely what the GYN doctor saw when she examined you. If you want to read more about ectropion this link leads to a good summary https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cervical_ectropion

Because you had a normal PAP smear less than a year ago, there is no worry that any visible lesion on the cervix is cancerous. Cervical cancer takes many years to develop which is why currently the standard for Pap smear screening is to test every three years. Your own GYN said he would repeat your PAP smear and I do not think that is an unreasonable idea given your anxiety, but I want to reassure you again that red areas on the cervix can be completely normal, and that cervical cancer is not normally visible to the naked eye, so you really do not need to panic about your situation. I do recommend you follow up with your own GYN and have him take a look at your cervix directy, but again, the most likely thing is that your cervix just has ectropion and that is completely normal.

I hope I was able to answer your question today and that this information was reassuring to you. If you have any further questions or need additional advice, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Best wishes,

Dr. Brown

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Brief Answer:
Yes- many women bleed from missed pill and the red lesion is normal

Detailed Answer:
Hello again,

It is completely normal to have "breakthrough bleeding", which is what we call a period that sneaks through at the wrong time, when you miss a birth control pill, especially if you are on a very low-dose pill like Mercilon. The bleeding should stop during the hormone-free week in your pack or sometimes before that on it's own.

Regarding your cervix, because I cannot examine you myself, I cannot guarantee what your doctor described on your cervix was ectropion but if both your local doctors agree that what was seen was a morphological change... by definition it is not dangerous and is just a variation of a normal cervix. And because cervical cancer takes at least 7-10 years to develop, if you had a Pap smear within a year you can be reassured that this is not cancer.

So I encourage you to try to relax and trust your doctors that your health and well being are not in danger. I would make an appointment with your regular GYN to take a look at your cervix and he can hopefully explain to you exactly what the other doctor saw, but again, there is nothing that could be serious going on.

I hope you found this additional information reassuring.

Take care,

Dr. Brown

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