Oral contraceptive question

[Sam W]

So, when it comes to typical and perfect use: effectiveness rates of contraceptive methods are based on one full year of use, not for each single incident of sex or use of a method. Perfect use means that in one year, that method was always used, and always used following the directions exactly. Perfect use of most methods in one full year is unusual, because people tend to mess up every now and then. The exception is methods like the IUD or implant where a user does not have to do anything.

Typical use means that in one year, sometimes a method has not been used according to the directions, or was not always used. Typical use is called that because that is most typically how methods are used in a full year, since people aren't perfect.

When it comes to the pill, you have a 12 hour window before a pill is even considered late.

[Gone.Sorry.]

As for reviews, I would try not to get too bogged down by them! Reviews can be really useful, but reviews also tend to draw people who are having an extreme feeling towards the product. Especially when we have negative reactions, we a lot of the times really feel the need to feel heard. Someone who has a big positive reaction will also want to share but may not feel the same desire to be heard, so may settle for telling friends or just enjoying the positive changes in their life. And people with moderate reactions aren't going to be too motivated to leave a review very often. So online reviews can be skewed towards the negative, especially if there's not a group of people pushing for a concentrated effort to balance out such reviews.

I know this was at least immediately for the short-term future, but the best way to know if a pill will be a good fit for you is to try it yourself! My experience, my sister's experience, and a friend's experience on birth control have all been pretty different with completely different side effects between us. We also have very different health backgrounds, very different diets and lifestyles, had our first experiences with birth control at different ages, and I'm sure the hormones our bodies produce are not exactly the same amounts/ratios, all of which could play into why we experienced different side effects.

I'm glad your visit went well, and I hope you're satisfied with your prescription!

[Juliaho90]

Thank you Sam, it’s clear now. Just 2 last questions. I’m so sorry to be a bother. I apologise in advance.

So as long as I take is within that 12 hours window, the pill is not late and effectiveness will not be compromised?

How soon does it take for a pregnancy test to be positive after unprotected sex while on birth control? Is it possible for someone to be pregnant or a month or so but have consistent negative pregnancy tests?

[Sam W]

No need to apologize for asking questions, we're here to help you get the information you need

Yes, as long as you don't take pills late or miss them entirely, you can assume they're working how they're supposed to.

With pregnancy tests, the timing all depends on the specific test you buy. As long as you follow the instructions about when and how to test, you can assume the results are accurate. It is possible to get a false negative (where the test tells you that you're not pregnant when you actually are) but those are usually due to taking the test incorrectly or (rarely) because there was something wrong with the test. You can read even more about pregnancy tests here: Peeing on a Stick: All About Pregnancy Tests