Scarleteen

I am pretty sure I have IBS, but not 100% though. For the past year, after eating certain foods I’ll (sometimes, sometimes not) immediately have diarrhea (sometimes watery or loose). Anyway, I take my birth control pill (loloestrin Fe) around 6pm every day. I usually don’t have to go after, but say I’ve had diarrhea multiple times a week, but never really after taking the pill. Is the pill still preventing pregnancy?

Hi Sara123, and welcome to Scarleteen!

This is a good thing to be thinking about, because diarrhea can have an affect on the body's ability to properly absorb the components of any medication. But it's probably one that's best suited for your pharmacist or the provider that prescribed the pill to you, because they can get into specifics of the diarrhea, your body's metabolism, and the specific half-life your pill.
Are you currently talking with a doctor or getting care for these IBS-like symptoms? Have you talked to anyone else about them? What do you do to take care of yourself when you experience them?

As for mitigating pregnancy risk, do you use any other methods besides the pill, such as condoms, spermicide, or the withdrawal method? We usually recommend that users experiencing vomiting or diarrhea use those backup methods if they're taking the pill, just in case their hormonal method isn't at its full efficiency.

I’ve mentioned that I have diarrhea to my OBGYN, but not in much detail. I’ve seen a gastroenterologist recently though, so I am talking to a doctor about it. I try to eat healthy and drink water, but the diarrhea still occurs. I normally use condoms, but the other day I didn’t and he finished inside me, so I am worried now. I took plan b 77 hours later, so I hope that was enough time and that it was also absorbed.

Hi Sara,

I'm glad you've got a gastroenterologist on your side! It sounds like time to have a more thorough conversation with your OBGYN about this. As al says, they are the best person to advise you on how the diarrhoea might impact on your pill. If you decide you might be happier with an alternative form of birth control then we can talk you through that what do you think?

Yeah, maybe the shot or IUD would be better. I’m also curious if you think my chances of being pregnant are high, even though I do take the pill regularly and I took plan b? I normally don’t go to the bathroom every day, and like I mentioned before, it’s usually never after I take the pill. If it is, it’s always a few hours later.

We won't/can't engage with pregnancy scares here, and we also can't give you any more information about how effective your methods of BC (the pill and Plan B) beyond the information already on the site per their effectiveness ratings.

* * *
We will not answer ANY questions about pregnancy fear or anxiety in our direct services from users who are not pregnant or who are not or have not otherwise been directly involved with an actual pregnancy.

Please do not post this kind of question. If you are seeing this text, and your thread is locked, it is because you have posted this kind of question.

We CAN and WILL talk about things like:
• choosing and using a method or methods of contraception for any future sexual activity
• creating your own sexual limits and boundaries based on your needs and/or presenting them to any partners
• making sexual choices that suit your own needs, abilities and limitations, including your own readiness for certain possible risks
• help locating or using emergency contraception if and when you have had a pregnancy risk
• discussing options with a real, existing pregnancy, and help finding and accessing those options, such as abortion services and pre-natal care, or discussing feelings or concerns about a past pregnancy
• help with anxiety like locating mental health services, sound self-help or asking for support from friends or family

For help dealing with a scare (including what poses a risk and your next steps based on your unique situation), you may use our tool on site built for this purpose: The Pregnancy Panic Companion.
For help with anxiety, click here.
For related help and information at Scarleteen, click here.
If you would like more information about this policy, click here.