Birth control pills outside

[gatesy08]

Hi,
I was at an outdoor wedding the other day and it was coolish outside. Probably around 10-15 degrees celcius. I had my pills in a zippered pocket in my purse. Would this have decreased their effectiveness at all?

[Sam W]

Hi Gatesy,

Given that we've discussed temperature and birth control interaction with you in the past, I'm going to quote what Heather said in your last thread

"I am concerned with the intense volume of posts from you that have been based in you not trusting your pills to do their job. Ideally, methods of contraception should dramatically decrease these kinds of concerns, but it seems like your pill is something that has been commanding an awful lot of your attention and focus.

I may have asked you this previously, but is the pill what you would choose as the method you want and trust most? Are you also backing up with condoms, since it seems like you don't feel comfortable with your pill by itself (and only condoms can give you protection from infections anyway)? have you ever had a conversation with whoever prescribes your medications where you have asked them the kinds of questions you are asking here, or asked about all your contraception options in the event you might feel more confident with a different method?"

[gatesy08]

We've discussed heat but never cold so I was curious about that.

[Alice O]

Hi gatesy08,

I trust you when you say that we have discussed heat but not cold with you regarding birth control.

But as Scarleteen staff it is not simply our job to answer every question that is posted on the message boards. It is also our job to set boundaries and make sure those boundaries are respected. It is also our job to notice themes with users' posts and follow up with them about those themes.

Sam and Heather and other Scarleteen staff have noticed that the theme of most of your posts is not trusting your birth control/worrying that it isn't working. So rather than having you come back every few days/weeks/months with a new question about what could or could not be affecting your birth control pills, we are wanting to get a bit more to the root of the problem.

What is causing you to not trust you birth control pills? How are you doing with anxiety and obsessiveness? Are you getting any outside support, such as therapy?

Are you using a second birth control method, such as condoms? Are you interested in trying a different primary form of birth control, such as an IUD or implant?

If you are feeling this kind of nervousness around birth control effectiveness and pregnancy, are you sure you want to be having this type of sex right now? Could it be helpful to take a break for a bit?

If you would like to explore any of these questions with us we would be happy to talk! But as you can tell, we are not going to discuss the specifics of what might interact with your birth control, since we have exhausted that subject with you.

I am setting this limit both for us, and for you. As you may have noticed, reassurance actually doesn't make anxiety go away. Or if does, it is fleeting. Ultimately, it just encourages the anxious cycle! Hence us wanting to get a bit more to the root of this...