The bleeding you experience while on types of hormonal birth control, such as the contraceptive pill, is in fact not a menstrual bleed. It is a type of spotting known as withdrawal bleeding. Withdrawal bleeding is different to a period because hormonal birth control stops ovulation - in other words, we don’t technically experience a menstrual cycle while on the pill, so we don’t get a period 🩸 ⁣⁣ Another feature that makes withdrawal bleeding a bit different is the amount of blood involved. Bleeding on birth control is often lighter than a regular period, since the contraceptive hormones have stopped the uterine lining from fully developing before it sheds🩸