I am on the pill but have had a small amount of dark brown spotting for the past week and am not due to get my period for 6 more days. I have been under a ton of stress over the last few weeks studying for a huge test. In those weeks I indulged in more coffee than usually and certainly did not get 8 hours of sleep a night (prob. Averaged 5 or 6). Now I've been sleeping more and making an effort to hydrate but have enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine each night with dinner. The spotting started the day after the test. Could stress and irregular lifestyle changes be the cause of my out of whack period?

Stress is probably causing the spotting. Also with mixing alcohol and the pill it might have lost it effectivenss. The pill sometimes causes breakthrough bleeding. It is still always best to get a doctors advice.

There are a number of things that can cause your period to be off track. Since you are on the birth control pill, this could be the main cause. Other causes can be stress and diet, among other things. The hormones that are in the birth control pill can cause breakthrough bleeding, as jrb said.

Even if you have had a good history with the pill as far as your menstrual cycles, you can still have irregularity from time to time. It shouldn't be anything to worry about right now, but if it becomes very bothersome you can see a doctor about what you can do. :)

Thank you ladies! My doc is out of town for a couple weeks so I plan to run it by her but wanted to buy myself some stress reduction in the meantime!

There are some great ways to relieve stress. Take a warm bath, read a book, listen to music, watch a good movie, etc. Whatever keeps you happy and stress free. Keep us updated on what happens with your doctor. :)