Bc question

[Gabrielle]

I'm kind of done with hormonal birth control so my bf and I agreed to begin looking into other forms of bc. I figured the best way to end birth control was to end it at the end of the pack. For reference, I was taking junel 1.5 ( it’s a 28 day combo pill with 7 placebos ) a combination pill.

We had sex on day 21 of the pack, the last active pill. Is there a chance I could be pregnant? I didn't THINK I could be since I know I'm protected through my placebo week, but then I started second guessing myself. Idk. Can someone check my sex math?
I didn’t start a new pack after my placebo week and my last sexual encounter was on the 21 pill ( last active pill in the pack ) thank you

[Becky]

Hi Gabrielle!

Based on what you've said, no I don't think you're at risk of becoming pregnant. With the pill, you are protected through the 7 days of placebo before you start your next pack.

There are a lot of great options for non-hormonal birth control. Including both male and female condoms, other barrier methods like a diaphragm, and the copper IUD.

We have a great series on all of the various types of birth control called Birth Control Bingo that I highly recommend you check out.

Let me know if you have any other questions about the different types of birth control!

[Gabrielle]

So I don’t have to worry about that sexual encounter ? Sorry for asking again it’s because I’m anxious since I want to come off this specific pill.thank you for taking the time to answer my question

[Becky]

Hey again Gabrielle,

So our founder has educated me on a few things and I need to amend my previous statement.

While you are most likely not at risk for getting pregnant since you had sex on the 21st day of your BC pack and sperm usually only survives within the body for around/up to 5 days. However, technically you are only protected against pregnancy during your placebo week if you started a new pack of birth control afterwards or started using another type of hormonal birth control. While it is unlikely that the sperm survived for the 7 days, it is not impossible. Because of this, we don't feel comfortable telling you there is NO risk of pregnancy. It's likely low, but not none.

I apologize deeply for my mistake. Could you let me know how many days it's been since the sexual encounter and/or how many days it has been since you were supposed to start your new pack of birth control?

Also, let me know if you need help finding a new form of birth control or advice on discussing condom use/other barrier methods with your partner.

[Gabrielle]

I’m on my last placebo day but tomorrow I think I will continue taking actives ( idk how many days would be necessary )

[Heather]

I think that's a smart move to play it safe, Gabrielle.

What method were you planning on switching to? If I have that information, I can help you figure out this timing, in terms of when and if it's as safe as safe can be for you to go off the pill.

[Gabrielle]

I’m currently not sexually active and the only time I did have sex was on my last active , I did my 7 day placebo and now I’m starting the pill pack. But I want to get off and give my body a break then try the iud

[Heather]

Gotcha.

So, am I understanding correctly that you don't intend to have intercourse again anytime soon? If not, then you can go off your pill after this next cycle and be 100% sure you had all the protection the pill can offer per your last possible risk. The IUD starts working immediately upon insertion, so so long as you wait for intercourse until then -- or use condoms properly in the interim if you do want to have intercourse and want effective pregnancy and STI prevention -- you'll be all good.

The hormones in a hormonal IUD are only local, just FYI, so no matter what IUD you choose -- hormonal or non-hormonal -- even if you got the IUD today and went off the pill, you'd not only be protected, but your body would still get a break from systemic hormones.

[Gabrielle]

Can I stop taking my pill tomorrow? It would be my 2nd active tomorrow ( after the placebo week ) I’m sure the sperm from the 21 active before the placebo would be gone by then

[Heather]

Personally, I wouldn't do that. Yes, you are probably right about the sperm cells from a week and change ago. But the way all of this works is from cycle to cycle, rather than day to day, when it comes to your body thinking it's fertile or not. So, if it were me, and I were someone -- who I always have been -- who very much did not want to risk pregnancy, I'd go ahead and finish this full cycle of pills before I went off.

But if that feels like a real struggle for you, I'd suggest at least taking 7 days worth of this pack's active pills.

[Gabrielle]

What if the symptoms are unbearable ? I think I’ll finish after 7 pills… I don’t think my body would ovulate that quickly

[Gabrielle]

I had sex during my last active pill week. ( 21 pill ) then I took my 7 placebo pills (no sex during this time).
After the placebo week, I took 1 more active pill, then stopped the pill entirely.
No sex after the placebo week.
Am I safe ? Can I stop the pill now ?

[Andy]

Hi there Gabrielle,

this sounds like a stressful situation and I’m sorry you are experiencing it. As I see it, this is a choice between having a certainty you won’t become pregnant and stopping the bad side effects sooner, or having to live with them longer and not having the absolute certainty about the pregnancy (though as Heather said, the risk is not high). So I suppose it comes down to how disruptive and dangerous are the side effects for your life and what it would mean to have to endure them for longer. Does this make sense?

Also, could you please clarify how many days ago have you stopped taking the pill (when you took the last active one)?

[Andy]

Since it seems what we are able to provide for you isn’t meeting your needs, after consulting this with our director, they said it might be best to contact your doctor or pharmacist about this to get a second qualified opinion on that. Is that something you can do?

[Gabrielle]

I took my 7 placebo pills and 2 actives

[Heather]

Hey, Gabrielle. My sense is that you're not feeling what I've been suggesting, which is absolutely fine and your right, of course! But the advice we give here isn't really going to differ.

Like Andy suggested, how about you get in touch with your pharmacist or your prescribing physician for a second opinion about this? Then you can consider what each of us said and make a choice for yourself. <3

[Gabrielle]

I took 7 placebos and 3 actives so I don’t think I should be worried anymore

[lilikoi]

Hi there Gabrielle,

I understand the stress you're feeling! I have had my own issues with hormonal birth control as well. That being said, I want to let you know that we are a small team with the goal to answer questions and empower sexual education. As mentioned above, you have our best recommendation. Your choice in how you move forward is up to you! Sometimes getting in touch with a health professional can help provide context and care for health stresses like this!

Instead of a back and forth with the same information over and over again, I am wondering if there is anything else related to this topic you would like help addressing?