T O P I C R E V I E W
mmiiaa
Member # 89924
posted 02-27-2012 05:41 PM
So, I have been on birth control for about 2 1/2 months? I'm halfway through my 3rd pack. I've only flubbed on one pill last pack, where I forgot and had to take the pill 9 hours later, once I remember. Other than that, I take my pills relatively on time, never more than two hours late. Friday, my boyfriend and I had unprotected sex, and he actually ejaculated. I felt as if I would be fine with it, but now I realize how paranoid I am. It's been, what, 2-3 days now, and I'm cramping and feeling nauseas, but I think the nausea is from me recovering from a cold and having all this mucous. Can I have pregnancy symptoms this early? I'm told that I don't have much to worry about, since I haven't missed a pill, but still, should I be worrying...a lot? When should I take a test?
Karybu
Member # 20094
posted 02-27-2012 06:07 PM
Pregnancy doesn't even happen that early - when it does happen, it takes around a week for the egg to be fertilized and implant in the lining of the uterus. So feeling any sort of pregnancy "symptoms" just a few days after sex isn't possible. Pregnancy is very unlikely when you're on the pill and taking it properly, and since it sounds like you've been very good about taking your pills on time this pack the chances of pregnancy are very low. If you do want to test, though, you can do that two weeks after a possible risk, or the first day of a missed period, whichever comes first. If you're not comfortable with relying on the pill alone for birth control, have you considered using condoms as a backup method? Condoms and the pill combined is about as low-risk as you can get, and as a bonus, condoms protect against STIs.
mmiiaa
Member # 89924
posted 02-28-2012 10:46 AM
Oh, well maybe I'm just being paranoid.. Thank you for answering so promptly! I think I freaked myself out by reading others posts on the internet that said "I knew I was pregnant just a couple days after sex! I can just tell with my body." So I was all OH NO. Ah, we were using condoms religiously for a long while, until we both got tested, and came out clean. And so now I don't use condoms every now and then to make my boyfriend happy. But...I don't know if I can keep doing that. Or at least not making him withdraw while I'm on the pill. I'll keep taking this thing religiously! Hopefully I am not really pregnant, and these oddities are just my imagination..
Heather
Member # 3
posted 02-28-2012 10:55 AM
Sometimes -- rarely -- people are very, very sensitive to ANY hormonal changes in the body. So, someone having a sense that something is up that soon *can* happen, but given that the change is so, so minute that early on, the vast majority of people will have no idea they became pregnant until at least a few weeks into pregnancy, if not longer. So, most reports like that will be about people projecting emotional feelings after-the-fact, after a pregnancy was verified.
mmiiaa
Member # 89924
posted 03-01-2012 10:41 PM
Oh, ok, I gotcha! Although, I am getting worried now, as I wait until I can test. I'm feeling crampy, and the left side of my pelvis has a come and go dull ache, and I keep thinking it's an egg implanting and I can feel it. I would blame the crampiness on a period starting, but I don't think I can do that anymore since I'm on the pill? I mean, I'm supposed to have a withdrawal bleed in about 4-5 days, but I don't think that means I will have the same cramping I usually do when I was not on the pill. Right? Agh. I really got to use condoms next time with the pill. But there are plenty of people out there who use the pill alone and don't get pregnant, correct?
Robin Lee
Member # 90293
posted 03-01-2012 11:09 PM
You can get cramps while on the pill. There are stil things happening in your body hormonally, they're just different. And given that you've just started the pill in the last couple of months your body may well react in different ways as it adjusts. The pill is 99% effective at preventing pregnancy with perfect use, and 92% with typical use, so yes, lots and lots of people take it and successfully prevent pregnancy. It's doubtful that you would feel implantation; we're talking about tiny, tiny cells and as Heather said, most people can't tell they're pregnant until weeks into the pregnancy. It sounds though like using the Pill alone might not be quite enough to assure you that your risk of becoming pregnant is as low as it could be while still having sexual intercourse. Would using condoms in addition give you greater peace of mind?
mmiiaa
Member # 89924
posted 03-01-2012 11:40 PM
Quick question then. Besides my flub last pack where I took a pill 9 hours late, (but not 12! And certainly not missed at all, I took it as soon as I remembered), would I be in the perfect use category? Or at least pretty close to it? Whenever I take a pill a couple of hours late, I find myself thinking that I've failed to be a good user. Ah, well this is assuring that I would not feel it! I guess I'm being super paranoid. Or really intuitive.. Yeah.. you're right. The worry that plagues me is sort of outweighing the pleasure that comes with it during the act. I used to be so good at using condoms when I wasn't on the pill! But now.. it's so tempting to try going without. Mainly because (1) I feel as if it's some kind of reward for my boyfriend to go without, and I know how much he enjoys it. (2) I enjoy it. But I guess it's worth not having the larger risk, right? If we could find some great condom brand, that'd be awesome. Do you know of a brand you would recommend that feels better for the both of us? (Besides Trojan fire and ice. Despite the commercials, that thing sounds like the devil.)
September
Member # 25425
posted 03-02-2012 04:37 AM
It's tricky to call any user a perfect user, since the perfect use rates are achieved in laboratory testing, and I think we can all agree that even at the best of times, real life does not happen under laboratory conditions. Now, the typical use rate is still 92%, which is pretty high. And the more careful and diligent you are with taking your pill, the closer you are to the perfect use rate. As far as condoms go, that's pretty individual so it's hard to make recommendations. One thing you can do if you want to experiment a little is to buy a variety pack containing different brands (you can easily order those online), so you give different condoms a try without having to buy a whole box of each.
mmiiaa
Member # 89924
posted 03-12-2012 08:20 PM
Just wanted to update on this, just in case any other scarleteeners read this. I am not pregnant! Had my withdrawal bleed and even tested negative (again. sigh.) So, for a lesson, use a condom, or at least don't let him ejaculate in you (if you're good with your birth control) if you don't want to freak out every day until you bleed red like me. Yeesh. We've made that rule now. That at least if we don't use condoms on those special occasions, he has to pull out. Thank you guys for helping me out!