Can you answer some questions about birth control?

Question

1. I was told by my mother that when you start using birth control, you have to wait until your next period and use it on the sunday precedingthe beginning of your period. Is this true? Or can I take it on any sunday and be just as fine?

2. I know that birth control takes about a month to regulate in your body. If I start taking it on a sunday around 3:00 p.m., and have sex the following wednesday after taking the pill and not using a condom, how protected am I?
(I know that I am never really fully protected unless I am not having sex at all, but I just was wondering if the chances are just as high as if I had never taken birth control at all. I know I should be using a condom with or without birth control, so there is no need to tell me all that. I would just like a simple answer of if there is a high risk of getting pregnant or not.)

3. How does birth control work?

Try not to answer questions I didn't ask unless you feel it would help me better understand. Thank you.

Is there anyway to protect myself for just one day besides using a condom?

Answer 1

1. You are supposed to start taking it the Sunday after you start your period. Your mother is correct; that's what a gynecologist will tell you.

2. It would be the equivalent of not being protected at all. And assuming you start the pill as directed in #1, you may be ovulating at that time and your chance of getting pregnant would be even higher.

3. It stops you from ovulating (releasing an egg) by giving you a cominbation of estrogen and progesterone. It also thickens the mucus around your cervix, making it harder for sperm to enter the uterus. And the lining of your uterus becomes thinner so an egg cannot attach, and you may not have a period at all (or it will be very, very faint.) If that happens, take a pregnancy test just to be safe.

Answer 2

1. The *best* way to start the birth control pill is to take the first pill of the packet on the first day of your period. You get the full protective effect earlier, and you are less likely to have negative symptoms. Another good way is to start the pill on the first sunday *after* your period begins. Most packs have instructions for "Day 1 Starters" or "Sunday Starters" in the little insert. Read them.

I would NOT start before my period begins. Before your period begins your hormone levels are dropping (hence PMS) and trying to compete with that by taking synthetic hormones will just confuse your body.

2. Not that well. Better than using no contraception at all, sure, but still not well. Generally you want to give it at least a week, even if you are a day 1 starter. If you start taking the pill more than a few days after you start bleeding, you have a lower level of protection, and it'd be preferable to wait out the month.

3. Oral contraceptives mainly work by suppressing ovulation (where your body releases an egg). The actual mechanism is quite complicated but the wikipedia link below has a pretty decent discussion of it.

Answer 3

1. Yes, you have to wait until your next period to beging taking the pill unless you're given other directions by your doctor. You can't just randomly start taking the pill, because the hormones in your body naturally and the ones in the pill will get all out of sync.

2. Most birth control tells you to wait at least a week before having sex without an alternate method (condom, sponge, film, ect.). After three days (that Wednesday) you haven't been on the pill long enough to ensure that it's effective. You'd be looking at the same risk of having unprotected sex prior to being on the pill at all.

3. The hormones in the pill trick your body into thinking it's already ovulated and released an egg. Therefore, you won't release an egg, and there's nothing to fertilize.

Answer 4

1. You usually have two options: You can either start it on the first day of your period, OR you can start it on the Sunday immediately following your period. Whichever is easiest for you. I find it much easier to go from Sunday.

2. It takes about two weeks for the birth control to start working, so you need to use a backup method (condom, etc) until that two weeks passes. So yes, there is a high risk of pregnancy before that two weeks is up.

3. Birth control pills work by preventing an egg from being released from your ovary, so the sperm will have nothing to fertilize, therefore no pregnancy. It also thickens the mucus around your cervix, making it harder for sperm to get into the uterus in the first place. Finally, some BCP's change the lining of the uterus slightly to prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterine wall.

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

1. Yes, you should wait.

2. For the first 7 days you should use extra contraception. If you're taking a progesterone only pill (mini pill), its especially important to take it every day at the same time.

3. Different ones work different ways and contain different hormones... Some prevent the release of an egg, some make your cervical mucus thick so sperm cannot pass through, and some make it so the egg cannot attach to the uterus lining.