The Misconceptions of the Pill

The pill is a common choice for a lot of women for health and beauty and an easily prescribed method of birth control. It comes in many brands and strengths ranging from low estrogen to higher estrogen, combined progesterone and estrogen (also known as the very popular combined pill), or in the form of progesterone only (the mini-pill.)

The pill is designed for a woman who can remember to take her tablet at roughly the same time each day without missing a tablet. The pill is designed for non-smokers, and in general good health.

The pill is not designed to protect you from STDS.

What are the misconceptions of the pill?

I know about 10 women who claim they were on the pill when they got pregnant, and I’m sure you could name a few, too. I am not here to claim that the pill is 100% error proof, but to say that so many tend to blame the pill (sometimes 3 to 5 times in a row) and not look at misuse is a bit unrealistic.

I think women just find it easier to blame the pill for their mistake. But let’s clear up some common errors and misunderstandings about the pill so those “mistakes” don’t happen to you.

One of the worst and most common mistakes that I have seen happen with the pill is this one: A woman will start on the pill for the first time (or start a new brand) and begin having otherwise unprotected sex. This is a big no-no. You are not protected from pregnancy until you have taken a full packet and begin packet 2.

Missing birth control tablets Yes, It does matter. If it didn’t, why would you be told to take a tablet every single day?

“I missed one birth control tablet, what do I do?”

Do exactly what the leaflet in your birth control packet tells you to do—take your missed tablet as soon as you remember. If you missed a full day, take it with your next dose.

“I missed two birth control pills, am I pregnant?”

Probably not, but you are pushing it, this is my personal opinion. While birth control leaflets will tell you otherwise, depending on your fertility, I’d take precaution and get a pregnancy test if you’ve had recent intercourse. Take them as soon as you remember and use a back-up method such as condoms for a week.

“I missed three birth control pills, what do I do?”

Throw out your whole packet and start fresh. You may have some spotting or bleeding. It’s also very important to use a back-up method for at least a week.

Next misconception of the pill that women aren’t always educated on is if you are unwell, it will not necessarily stay in you. There is a possibility that if you have been throwing up or have diarrhea you may have expelled some of it, therefore lowering it in your body, increasing your chances of pregnancy. Use a back-up method if you have been sick.

Pay attention to antibiotics you are given. It is very common that antibiotics counteract birth control pills. If you are unsure, ask your doctor. Use a back-up method for at least 2-4 weeks after running a course of antibiotics.

Some anticonvulsant medications can lower the effectiveness of the pill. This can easily be remedied by asking your doctor for a pill higher in estrogen. Some supplements such as St John’s Wort can also affect the pill, so pay attention to anything new you are given.

The best thing I can tell you is to educate yourself. If you’re smart enough to educate yourself on the newest beauty product or the latest fashion trend, get smart on contraceptives and spread this word.Our world is overpopulated with young mothers and unwanted pregnancies due to the poor education of birth control and sex education by natural beauty tips. The United States’ only form of Sexual Education is Abstinence! The United Kingdom simply throws a condom at you without showing how to put it on! This is why I urge you to do what you can to spread this information, as due to our government’s lack of balls, babies are being raised by children!