Center for Young Women's Health
My boyfriend and I want to have sex but I’m afraid of getting pregnant. We plan to use condoms but should we wait until I am on the birth control pill?Waiting to have sex until you are on birth control pills is the best choice to prevent pregnancy since the pill is more effective than condoms alone. Latex condoms lower … read more
Articles Tagged: birth control pills
If I go on birth control to help me have a regular period would it still help me not get pregnant?
Yes! The Pill has many benefits besides regulating your period. It is very effective in preventing pregnancy if you take it exactly as you are supposed– one pill a day, … read more
It turns out my period will likely arrive on the first day of my vacation. Can I delay my period by starting the next pill pack without taking the inactive pills in my pill pack? Will the Pill still be effective?
Check with your health care provider (HCP) to make sure there isn’t any reason why you shouldn’t keep taking active birth control pills in order to delay your period. You … read more
I have endometriosis and I’ve been taking birth control pills continuously. I have a brownish discharge that I haven’t had for over 3 years and I’m worried. I have a huge workload this semester and I work out a lot at the gym. Can stress or working out cause your birth control not to work?
As long as you are taking your birth control pills at the same time every day and you haven’t missed any doses, the Pill will work. Brown discharge, often called … read more
What happens to the lining of your uterus if you take the Pill continuously and not get a period? Does it build up? Do you not grow a lining?
Great question! If you are NOT taking the Pill (oral contraceptive pills), each month, the lining of your uterus naturally thickens or “builds up” to prepare for a possible pregnancy. … read more
How long does it take the pill to kick in? Say I start the pill on Monday. Can I have unprotected sex on Friday?
No, you will not be protected from STIs or pregnancy. Birth control pills do not protect a woman from sexually transmitted infections. Birth control pills protect from pregnancy after 7 … read more
I started birth control the day that I filled my prescription, but that was halfway through my cycle. Should I still expect my regular period?
Since you started taking the Pill half-way through your menstrual cycle (rather than at the beginning of your cycle), your period will likely be later than usual- sometime after you … read more
I’m on the pill and I usually take it continuously so I don’t get a period. But this month I was going to take the placebo pills to have a period. What I’m wondering is: When do I start the hormone pills again? Right after my period ends even if there are placebo pills left? And how long after starting a new pack after my period can I have sex safely without a condom?
Congratulation for using birth control! As you know, using birth control pills “continuously” means that instead of taking the placebo pills (the different colored pills that are usually at the … read more
I read that taking birth control pills can help lower the risk of getting anemia. I have already been diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia; will going on the pill help?
Birth control pills are often prescribed by health care providers to treat certain medical conditions such as heavy periods. Because there is less menstrual bleeding when taking birth control pills, … read more
I take birth control pills. Do I have to take the “inactive pills”? Why do I have to bleed during this time?
Most birth control pill packages are made up of 21 days of active pills (one color) followed by 7 days of “inactive” pills (a different color), however there are some … read more