A couple of questions :)

[ilovemattyhealy]

Hello! First off I'd like to say thank you very much for your time in answering my post. I'm very appreciative of this page, and all of you who work here. I love this page and it has helped me more times than I can count. I appreciate all you do for teen girls like me who feel they have nowhere else to go to talk about SexEd. Okay, now for my questions. While I'm not participating in sexual intercourse, I am involved in activities that pose no risk according to this page. This being said, I am on a low dose of birth control, for severe period cramps. My main question is can my low dose of birth control also work as a slight contraceptive in the extremely rare case of pregnancy during little to no risk activities? What I mean is, sometimes I get nervous about dry humping and pre ejaculate even though both of us are clothed and I read your article where it lists the ways you cannot get pregnant. I'm also curious as to having semen or precum on your fingers, (most likely dry?) and going pee and forgetting to wash your hands before you wipe yourself. I've heard a lot of different things about sperm, (that it dies when exposed to air, that it is very fragile and needs specific conditions in order to survive, etc.) I just wanted to inquire about that, and hopefully allow you to elaborate on that. I've always been a worrywart and just want to know the facts about that. I'm too scared to talk to my gynecologist about it. In advance, I'd like thank you so much for your time and help and hope to hear from you soon!

[Heather]

Welcome! All forms of oral contraceptives of the last 20 years and change are "low-dose," and are meant to be used as contraception, even when prescribed for something else. All combined oral contraceptives are around 99% effective in perfect use in one year, and 91% in typical use (the way most people will use them).

Have you already looked at our information on the main site about what does and doesn't pose risks with sexual activities?

[ilovemattyhealy]

So all forms of oral birth control pills, are low dose? So basically it is, and can be used, as a method of contraception? And Yes I have. I just haven't seemed to find anything (here it anywhere) about wiping.

[Heather]

When something like that isn't in our material about what poses risks, it's because it just doesn't make any difference.

And yep, birth control pills/oral contraceptives are called that because that's what they do! They can also offer some other benefits, like helping some people with some kinds of painful periods or acne, but those things are basically side effects (just ones people tend to like). The primary thing ALL oral contraceptives do is to prevent pregnancy.

And if it helps to clear it up, back in the day -- from the advent of the pill in the 1960s up until around the late 1980's -- the level of estrogen in oral contraceptives was much higher than it is now. They made it lower since because a) that's safer for everyone's health, and b) they found out that those high levels didn't actually make the pill any more effective, it's just as effective with much lower levels of estrogen.

[ilovemattyhealy]

Well I definitely didn't know that! Thank you so much for your help with that! Also, I'm really glad to hear it doesn't make any difference in posing a pregnancy risk. I know you hear a lot of posts about sexual activities that can and cannot pose pregnancy risks. I'm sorry for kind of asking about that. I just didn't know. Also, is it normal to have slight cramping and spotting while on birth control? I've even had so much as 2 periods in one month. What's up with that? Also, is there an identifiable difference between spotting and period blood besides the length of time in which it occurs? Thank you again for your help and speedy replies.

[Mo]

While many people find that being on birth control pills lessens cramps, you can still have some cramping on birth control, as well as spotting; those are common side effects. When you're on hormonal birth control, instead of a period you have what's called a withdrawal bleed; it will often come regularly like a period and look/feel like a period, but it's just the name for what happens when you're on hormonal bc and not having your regular menstrual cycle. It's not uncommon for these to be irregular for a bit as your body adjusts to being on birth control, or for there to be some spotting or breakthrough bleeding at other times of the month, so if you notice that happening it's not a sign of a problem with you or the birth control.

[ilovemattyhealy]

Thank you so much for all of your help everyone! I'm glad to hear my birth control fiasco is perfectly normal and also that my sexual relations can't result In pregnancy. I feel so much better now. Thank you again everyone!

[Mo]

You're welcome! I'm glad that helped.