Birthcontrol and unwanted pregnancy

[01Dancer]

ive been taking the birthcontrol pill for 3 almost 4 years. My boyfriend and I have decided that it's time to move forward in the relationship and take it to the next step. I'm on a pill that allows me to menstruate every 3 months (it's called seasonal). I have 3 main questions. 1. How long to do I have to wait after resuming the pill to have sex? (For example if I stop taking it to have my period). 2. Is there anytime while taking the pill that I could be more septable to pregnancy? 3. Should I still use a condom to be extra safe even though he doesn't have an std

[Sam W]

Hi 01Dancer,

Those are all good questions to ask before moving forward with being sexual! The short answer is that, once you've been on the pill for awhile, you'll have full protection during all parts of your pack, including the placebo period (the time where you get your withdrawl bleed). You can find more detailed explanations in these articles:
Three questions about taking the birth control pill (and plenty of answers)
How do birth control pills really work, even during the placebo period?

We generally recommend backing up with condoms even when on the pill (and even if you've both been tested for STIs) because it's a relatively easy way to add another layer of safety to sex.

[Heather]

Just as an FYI for you, it is very unusual for a healthcare provider to have prescribed the pill for someone as young as 11, and menstrual suppression - taking a kind of pill that does this by design, or taking a pill in ways that do this - is something we have no studies on as safe for those in adolescence, especially early adolescence. I was very surprised to see you having been prescribed the pill so early and this kind of pill, no less.

So, unless you have a medical condition this was done for, I would just double check this with another healthcare provider, ideally an OB/GYN or some other kind of specifically reproductive health are provider to make sure this is safe for you. Really, since we have no study yet to say if it is safe for anyone your age, I would personally suggest you ask to switch to using a pill that does NOT suppress menstruation until or unless study is done that finds it to be safe.

[01Dancer]

I was put on it for headaches. I got migraines when I got on my period and would seizure so they put me on that to minize the amount of headaches I'd get

[Heather]

Since estrogen -- which is one of the two hormones in your pill -- is linked to migraines, that does seem a pretty odd choice to me, especially since there are migraine medications that don't pose the kinds of health risks using a continuous use pill does.

Personally, I'd suggest you seek out a second opinion there, especially if no one did a headache study at the time, or took into account that early on when periods start, migraines are fairly common due to getting used to those hormonal shifts, but most often resolve themselves pretty shortly. Just to be safe.

[01Dancer]

Omg. U don't know my medical history and I refuse to put it on here for eveyone to see. Ur clearly not a doctor. An adolescent medicine Doctor put me on it along with another medication. Please don't tell me what is right vs wrong when ur not a certified Doctor. Thank u.