T O P I C R E V I E W
SittingPretty12
Member # 94883
posted 11-03-2012 05:37 PM
Hi all, I just had a question about condom usage and pill effectiveness. So I recently got back on the birth control pill. I took at 5-month hiatus from it because of insurance issues. Anyway, I have a new partner and we always use condoms. This particular night, we used a condom and he kept going after ejaculation. I didn't know until I asked if he had ejaculated and he said yeah. I immediately told him to stop because that makes it more likely to leak. He had no idea! (Haha, boys ...) Anyway, he was still erect when he pulled out of me and I didn't feel any leakage and the condom was still in its same position (it didn't roll down or slip). Should I be confident that no semen leaked out? Semen was still at the tip. Maybe a little bit on the sides of the condom, but not near the base. We had a talk and he apologized and said he now knows not to do that again. The other half of this question is that my pill packet (Yaz) says that the pill is effective after teh first week for Sunday starters like myself. Well, on this particular night I had started the FIRST pill of my SECOND week -- I took it right before. Does that count as a full week? Sorry for so many questions. I guess my main question is -- what are my chances of pregnancy? I should know better since I'm in my early 20's, but sometimes things aren't perfect. Thank you, as always.
Heather
Member # 3
posted 11-03-2012 05:53 PM
Okay. So, with the condom: you're right -- and yay for educating your partner on this! -- that continuing to have intercourse with the same condom on after ejaculating makes it way more likely to break or slip off. But in this case, neither of those things happened, no crisis averted. With restarting your pill, do I have it right that you are just starting again after being off for a while with THIS cycle? And if so, did you start your pill one week after your period had ended or already started, or are you saying you started the first Sunday after your period, but will a pill from the second week in your pill pack?
SittingPretty12
Member # 94883
posted 11-03-2012 06:04 PM
I didn't really get a period on LoLoEstrin, so I waited a week for it to start and got nothing. (Took pregnancy tests at the correct time, so I'm not pregnant). So it went like this: - Finished LoLoEstrin - Week gap - Started Yaz. - Finished first week of first pill pack on this night. My period should be starting next week.
Heather
Member # 3
posted 11-03-2012 06:05 PM
Oh, so you only had a week between your other pill and this one? No more than your usual placebo week? If so, then your effectiveness of your pill hasn't been disrupted at all. In other words, it'd be just as effective as if you'd kept taking your previous pill after the placebo week. Switching brands doesn't change effectiveness so long as the user doesn't take more than the placebo periods off between packs.
SittingPretty12
Member # 94883
posted 11-03-2012 06:07 PM
Well, that's the problem. I took my placebo pills, then and then had a week of taking nothing -- then started Yaz. So: Placebo pills, blank week, new pack. It would have just been like starting a new pill pack from scratch. I'm sorry if this is confusing!
Heather
Member # 3
posted 11-03-2012 06:08 PM
Oh, gotcha. So, yes, then we're not talking about it being immediately effective, and you'll want to make sure to keep using a backup method for the whole of this pill pack.
SittingPretty12
Member # 94883
posted 11-03-2012 06:11 PM
Okay, we have been! Thank you. So I don't need to worry about the "maybe" condom mishap?
Heather
Member # 3
posted 11-03-2012 06:14 PM
I wouldn't call it a maybe, myself. A mishap COULD have happened, had your partner kept on using that same condom, but it didn't. In other words, I'd compare this to say, walking across the street on a red light, but not getting hit by a car, if that helps. No mishap happened, even though the condom was used in a way that made it more likely one would. But it didn't.
SittingPretty12
Member # 94883
posted 11-03-2012 06:15 PM
Okay, so in other words, it was effective? I mean, I know there is always a chance every time with any birth control, but I'm just a little concerned right now since my breasts are SO SORE to the touch.
Heather
Member # 3
posted 11-03-2012 06:19 PM
I don't see any reason to think it was NOT effective. When condoms fail, it is typically because a) they weren't used at all or weren't used for all contact, b) they break or c) they slip off into the body after ejaculation. It might also help to know that pregnancy isn't something that happens instantly. It takes around a week for a pregnancy, when it's going to happen, to happen. And then it takes even more time for people who are pregnant to experience any body changes or changes to how they feel when pregnant. As well, not only are you apparently near a period, but breast tenderness is a very common side effect of birth control pills. And when starting the pill, or starting a new one, side effects tend to be more intense with the first few packs than they will be later. Even if you didn't have that effect with your last pill, you may be having it with this one. Breast soreness due to that or an impending period is about a million times more likely than breast soreness due to very early pregnancy.
SittingPretty12
Member # 94883
posted 11-03-2012 06:21 PM
Okay, thanks for the info Have a good weekend.
SittingPretty12
Member # 94883
posted 11-04-2012 07:11 PM
One last question, I read up on MayoClinic and some other sites about pill "Quick Start." I've heard this term before from my doc because about a year ago, he had me do this. From what I gather, a quick start birth control method is just sort of starting whenever in your cycle -- or the day it is prescribed by your doctor. I assume the rules of quick starting apply to my situation? If so, it says those who do a quick start have pill effectiveness after 7 days. I know Scarleteen definitely errs on the side of caution, but what is your opinion on "quick start" and effectiveness?
Heather
Member # 3
posted 11-04-2012 07:21 PM
Generally, what most OB/GYNs will rec=commend -- and what most patient inserts on pill packs say -- is that if a person starts at any time in their cycle BESIDES the first day of a period, or on or before the first Sunday aft=er a period starts, a backup method should be used for the whole of a pill pack. That's because if you start mid-cycle, the process that makes ovulation happen may already have started and the pill may not disrupt it in time. So, what we'd advise if you don't want to take a bigger risk of becoming pregnant than the pill at full effectiveness provides is that you use a backup for a full cycle if you start that way. Mind, we recommend a condom backup with the pill, period, both because of STIs, and also because we mostly work with young people, whose typical use rates with the pill are much lower than those of older adults. But if you don't always want to use condoms as a backup, if you at least don't want to take a big pregnancy risk, we'd advise that through this first pill pack. Using condoms for a few weeks, or period, is certainly a heck of a lot easier than becoming pregnant when you don't want to be, after all.
SittingPretty12
Member # 94883
posted 11-04-2012 07:58 PM
Okay, gotcha. Thanks again!
SittingPretty12
Member # 94883
posted 11-05-2012 11:51 AM
Ugh, I'm so sorry to be a pest but now I'm starting to get worried for one reason -- spotting. Last night, I went to the bathroom and wiped. My discharge had a brownish pinkish tinge to it. Very light. Today, my discharge has slight light brown color. Is this indicative of implantation bleeding? I know this topic is the boogeyman o Scarleteen, but I'm really worried. I'm also having dull menstrual cramps. I'm on my last few active pills. I start my placebos on Wednesday. Are my cramps and spotting due to my impending period? I don't know if this is common while on the pill. Thanks.
Heather
Member # 3
posted 11-05-2012 11:53 AM
Didn't you say you're expecting your period/withdrawal bleed to start soon? If so, it seems that the most likely cause of spotting and some cramps are related to an oncoming period.
SittingPretty12
Member # 94883
posted 11-05-2012 12:04 PM
Yes, I'm starting my placebo pills on Wednesday. So I should be getting my period this week. Is it normal to have PMS symptoms on active pills?
Heather
Member # 3
posted 11-05-2012 12:14 PM
What's typical for YOU? Because really, there's no "normal" when it comes to something like this, since people tend to vary a whole lot. That said, PMS symptoms are not pregnancy symptoms and having symptoms like PMS that were because of pregnancy isn't something that tends to happen this early on in a pregnancy. And certainly not around the time of implantation, where a pregnancy hasn't technically even started yet.
SittingPretty12
Member # 94883
posted 11-05-2012 12:37 PM
I'm not sure what's normal since I took a big hiatus and changed pills. A pregnancy test would be accurate at this point, yeah? 15 days after "risk." I'm probably worried for no reason since the condom stayed intact and fluids were concentrated at the tip, but that's just me.
Heather
Member # 3
posted 11-05-2012 01:11 PM
If you'd feel better taking a test and can afford to buy one, there's really no reason not to. Personally, though, I'd wait to take it until it's most likely to be reliable, which would be after a missed period. It'd probably be a waste of money to take a test where you could easily doubt the results.
SittingPretty12
Member # 94883
posted 11-06-2012 07:34 AM
Doesn't Scarleteen say 14 days at a minimum is pretty dang reliable? I know every woman is different, but still ... I took two tests (15 days) yesterday. Both a big fat negative. I think my spotting might have been due to vaginal tearing. I had been really sore after sex the night before. Is this possible? I guess all I can do is wait for dear Aunt Flo. I've been doing some research on the Internet and even Planmdd Parenthood says 7 days after pill usage in any part of the cycle is okay. While I still think your advice is much better, I feel more comforted. Also, turns out I did Sunday start correctly. I did miss pills on Loestrin, so I got my period on Sat. Oct. 12 and started Yaz on Sun, oct. 13. I suppose it was starting from scratch, but still Sunday starting during a menstrual cycle. I miscalculated my days. ANYWAY, I'm rambling. Thanks for your input and patience as always. I've been relying on this site for YEARS! How can I donate?
Robin Lee
Member # 90293
posted 11-06-2012 08:06 AM
Hi There, Yes, it's absolutely possible to have a small tear in the vaginal tissues after engaging in intercourse. Since you were sore, it seems even more likely that this may have happened. Do you and your partner use lubricant?
SittingPretty12
Member # 94883
posted 11-06-2012 09:26 AM
Only the lube on the condom. I meant is it possible to have a little brown blood on toilet tissue the night after?
Robin Lee
Member # 90293
posted 11-06-2012 10:18 AM
Yes, it is possible. If you're getting significantly sore, using extra water-based lube is a really good idea. There can be extra friction when using condoms that vaginal secretions may not be enough to lubricate. Plus, reducing that extra friction by using lube can further protect against the risk of a condom breaking.
SittingPretty12
Member # 94883
posted 11-06-2012 11:53 AM
Cool, thanks! He hit my cervix pretty hard and I figured that's why I had some spotting. I've accepted the fact I'm not pregnant with my negative tests and my low chance to begin with, I just had one last question. How does Scarleteen get the number 14 for days to take a HPT? Like I said, I know I'm okay, but I see so much conflicting info on the Internet and I always thought you guys were incredibly cautious with stuff like this. The 10-14 day rule seems "lenient." This is just for future reference. Thanks!
Heather
Member # 3
posted 11-06-2012 11:59 AM
We generally say that two weeks after a risk is the EARLIEST one could take a test and get accurate results, not that that is the ideal time to test. Ideally, one really does want to wait for a missed/late period, because while some pregnant people will start to develop enough hcg for a test to read it in around a week of pregnancy, plenty won't. But many of our users are impatient about waiting to test, so we give an earliest time they can, even though we do suggest people try and wait it out a little more, especially if they're having to pay for tests. You asked how you could donate! thanks! On the main site, right at the top center of every page is a link to our donation page which gives you all your options.
SittingPretty12
Member # 94883
posted 11-06-2012 12:16 PM
Okay thanks for the info and thanks for directing me!
SittingPretty12
Member # 94883
posted 11-10-2012 09:55 AM
Alright ladies, I took two tests today (both in afternoon) a day after period was supposed to arrive. I'm on my second to last placebo pills. Both tests were negative and this is 19 days after a "risk." Safe to say pregnancy is definitely not an option, yeah? I normally wouldn't be concerned if I hadn't been on this pill before. I've NEVER missed withdrawal bleeds after years of usage on the pill. The only thing I can think of is the switch from LoLoEstrin to Yaz. Since pregnancy is pretty much ruled out, I'm stumped. :/
Robin Lee
Member # 90293
posted 11-10-2012 10:27 AM
HI There, Switching pill brands can lead to the body needing to adapt some which in turn could lead to a missed withdrawal bleed. From what you describe, I'd say it's safe to say you're not pregnant.