Plan B freak out

[nrai]

For some background information I am on day 29 of my cycle and my app says I will be starting my period tomorrow but today my boyfriend and I decided to have sex. We did atleast 3 rounds with a condom on and we decided that we wanted to try without it, while doing it I felt something warm but I couldn’t tell if it was him or I, as soon as I noticed we stopped and he said he thinks it’s precum only but I began to freak out because I’ve heard that precum does get you pregnant but I don’t know. I decided to take a Plan B but I do know it only works before you ovulated and according to my app I ovulated during June21- June 27. Did I mess up by taking one? I’m very anxious and I just need an honest answer if it was pointless for me to take one. Please and thank you.

[Anya]

Hi nrai,

Absolutely not pointless. Taking a Plan B pill is actually what we would have recommended first if you hadn't taken one already. Additionally, Plan B works at any time. If you are worried about the risk of pregnancy, there's essentially no downside to taking one Plan B pill, as it works best the sooner it's taken. When warranted, it is the best option and can be used up to 5 days after exposure, ideally being used the sooner the better.

Precum does increase the risk of pregnancy, so we, as always, recommend practicing safe sex (using protection in one or multiple forms). Here is a link to essentially a cheatsheet on explaining exactly which acts produce the most and least risk of pregnancy: Can I Get Pregnant, Or Get Or Pass On An Sti From That?

It seems like you are also pretty focused on ovulation. Period tracking apps can often exaggerate how much ovulation and the app itself predict pregnancy, the impacts of ovulation, and even periods. Before trusting the app to know, we recommend listening to your body and consulting other sources for medically accurate info (just like you're doing here!). Here's an article of ours I also recommend giving a look over: Let's Dial Down Some (Maybe) Ovulation Freakouts