The pill

[girl1198]

Hi!

I started the pill on june 26 so i am basically a pill first timer. It is a combined pill (for 21 days I should take it, and then 7 days without it). However I have a few questions. When I started to have sex I trusted on my cycle tracker app just to make sure that i didnt have sex on the days/ around the day I was ovulating. But now, my cycle will obviously be different since the pill will not make me ovulate. My questions are:
1. now that I am on the pill, can I have sex without condoms and without the risk of getting pregnant?
2. How long does it take for my body to adapt to the pill?
3. Are there risky days (just like my past ovulation days) meaning that those are days I need to avoid having sex (with or without condoms) in order not to get pregnant?
4. Following to the previous question, are there any safe days in which I can have sex without condoms?
5. When the 21 pills end and I enter the 7 day break (which is supposed to be like a soft period) is having sex around that time risky? (Few days before, in the seven days, and few days after the seven days)

Thanks for the info!

[Sam W]

Hi Girl1198,

Most providers, us include, recommend waiting at least one full cycle of the pill before going without a back-up method. However, if you want to have as much protection as possible against both pregnancy and STIs, combining the pill and the condom is the best choice. As for how long it will take your body to adapt, that varies from person to person. It also helps to not think so much in terms of risk days due to your cycle, and more in terms of how consistently and correctly you take your pill, as that's what will effect your chances of pregnancy. You can read more about that here: Combined Oral Contraceptives (The Pill)

As for whether there's a risk during your break days, check out this article: How do birth control pills really work, even during the placebo period?