Expert: Norman Solberg - 1/26/2009

Question
I have been on Ortho-Tri Cyclen birth control for almost 2 years now. About every month I will barley have a light brown discharge for a few days. It is like right around my 12th-13th pill, which is pretty close to my mid-cycle. So does that mean that I am ovulating? And if so, is it normal to do that that much like almost every month same time?

Answer
I don't believe it means you're ovulating.  Your pill is quite low dosage, and I think it's breakthrough bleeding, meaning the hormones aren't quite enough to keep the lining from bleeding a little.  I don't think it means you are any more likely to get pregnant.  If it's bothersome, changing to a different pill will probably clear it up.