Birth Control Pills & Pregnancy Prevention

[Alice O]

Hi curiousaboutbc,

As you saw, I locked your previous thread because of Scarleteen's pregnancy scare policy.

But we are happy to talk about methods of birth control, how exactly they work, and how effective they are! I've created this thread so that we can talk more about that if you would like.

It seemed you weren't positive if you were protected from pregnancy during the placebo period, so to clarify that: yes! You are correct. You are protected from pregnancy during the placebo period, and you can read more about why that is here: How do birth control pills really work, even during the placebo period?

You will not be protected from pregnancy however if during your active weeks you stop taking your pills, or if after your placebo week, you do not start taking your active pills again. I'm not sure if that is what you meant when you said "I will be off of the pill for 5 days after this pack." In fact as our Birth Control Bingo series explains, "Taking the first pill in any given pill cycle late, or missing it, creates bigger risks than missing a pill at other times: in fact, a few cycles of the pill, then stopping it and starting intercourse the first day without is even used sometimes as infertility treatment!"

If you will be taking the first pill in your next pill cycle late, make sure to use another birth control method (such as condoms) for at least the first week of that pill pack.

Here at Scarleteen we often recommend using two methods of birth control, especially if pregnancy is something that is consistently worrying someone. In one year of typical use, the pill is 91% effective at preventing pregnancy. It sounds like you are currently using the pill, as well as withdrawal--in one year of typical use, that is a little less than 98% effective at preventing pregnancy. In one year of typical use, combining the pill and condoms (but not using withdrawal) is a little less than 99% effective at preventing pregnancy. Sounds like you often combine all three methods--the pill, condoms, and withdrawal--which would put you mighty close to 100% effectiveness at preventing pregnancy. More on this here: The Buddy System: Effectiveness Rates for Backing Up Your Birth Control With a Second Method.

Any questions about all that? (Though a reminder that pregnancy scare questions are not allowed at Scarleteen!)

Also, are you and your partner up to date with your STI testing?