To ask about getting pregnant on the pill

[Chattycat78]

Does this happen to a lot of people? Or are they missing pills/taking other meds/vomiting?

The internet seems to be full of people who were apparently taking their pill properly and still got pregnant.

I'm worried about this because I'm currently taking the mini pill. I feel like I don't trust it but I have no other choice until I've finished breastfeeding. I also have no idea where I am with cycles because I've not had a period for months (since being pregnant) and I have no idea if my fertility would have come back by now. The mini pill also prevents periods it seems (or it has with me) so I would have no idea if I was late or if something was amiss which bothers me.

I also had a slight bought of diarrhoea a few weeks ago which set me panicking about the mini pill failing. All the info online talked about "severe" diarrhoea being an issue and that wasn't what I had, so I was left clueless as to whether I should be concerned or not.

Am I just paranoid? I have to say that I probably am, because I absolutely do not want to get pregnant, and also because the lack of cycle means that I have no clue what's going on with my body. realise that I could use condoms as well as the pill, but when you've been married for years that hardly seems ideal, hence the question about whether the pill really isn't that great, or whether it's people not using it properly.

What do people think?

[londonrach]

St john wort, antibiotics...theres a few things that stop it working including forgetting to take a pill..

[Userone1]

People not using it properly. Sickness, other meds, forgetting to take etc

[PotteringAlong]

Why do you have no other choice until you've finished breastfeeding? I breastfed my bigger 2 for 18 months and am currently feeding number 3 and have never taken the mini pill for contraception.

[Mrsglitterfairy]

I think it is generally people not taking it correctly. I got caught pregnant on it 13 years ago but was missing a few and not taking them on time etc. I've been in on it now since having my youngest 5 years ago and been fine.
The only thing I would say is that it is better to be over cautious than take a risk so for example if you're more than 12 hours later than usual taking it, or have sickness or diarrhoea, or are taking antibiotics then use condoms or don't have sex for 7 days. That's what we do on the odd time anything like that happens.

[NapQueen]

Cant you also use condoms?

[Chattycat78]

Sorry - yes I suppose I could get the coil - have heard bad Things about it though I must admit (bleeding?). Condoms- again yes. However tbh I really don't want to- hence the question.

Agree it's best not to take a risk. However I think it can be hard to assess what a "risk" is. E.g.- if you have mild diarrhoea- is that taking a risk even though NHS website says you only have a problem if it's severe?

[downwardfacingdog]

I think it's easier to get pregnant on the mini pill than the regular pill. I got pregnant on the mini pill because I wasn't strict enough about taking it at the right time (because we weren't actually having sex, I was breastfeeding, yadda yadda). I got pregnant from one time having sex, which coincided with the first time I ovulated after having DD (she was about 6m old) so I had no periods at all between her and DS2. Be careful/use condoms as well if you really don't want another.

[SansaClegane]

I got pregnant on the mini pill. I did take it every day and no stomach bugs/other medicines interfering with it; though in hindsight I'm not sure I always took it in the same 2 hr window every evening as you are meant to.
We resolved the issue by DH having a vasectomy when our pill baby was born!

[BeaveredBadgered]

With the progesterone only pill I'd be cautious with any bout of diarrhoea and use condoms for 7 days afterwards. The leaflet for your specific pill will tell you the failure rate. This rate only applies if you follow the instructions to the letter. The risk will of course be much higher if you miss the daily 'window' in which you need to take it, vomit etc.

[LurkingQuietly]

3 out of our 7 NCT mums were taking the pill when we fell pregnant. I can categorically say I was taking it correctly but I still fell pregnant.

[DJBaggySmalls]

Me and SIL both got pregnant on mini pill; no sickness, no antibiotics, no warning and we both took it correctly. We were both careful about it as neither of us wanted to get pregnant. If we had suspected there was a problem we would have used a second method.
A friend of mine got pregnant using the coil.

[Chattycat78]

I've got one of those 12 hour mini pills so bigger than a 2 hr window.

Vasectomy- husband not keen, which I understand I suppose. I'm not keen on another pregnancy though!

[liz70]

DD2 was a mini pill conception. I was taking it correctly, no illness, no other medication. It happens.

[Chattycat78]

Ok so it sounds like I need to rethink my methods here- it looks like about 30 percent of the respondents on this thread have got pregnant on the mini pill...so it's obviously not very good! Quite worrying I would say.

[TheOnlyLivingToyInNewYork]

I think a lot of people will swear they took it correctly but probably didn't.

[liz70]

"I think a lot of people will swear they took it correctly but probably didn't."

So you had a spycam in every room in my flat between March and October 1999, did you?

[pigeondujour]

There could be things that interrupt it that we don't know about.

[isupposeitsverynice]

I have a copper coil and I will be honest it did make my periods much heavier for the first couple of years - now they are more or less back to normal but he cramping is still more intense than without. I think if you can tolerate the hormones the mirena coil is a good option, lots of women report having very little bleeding with the mirena.

[TheHodgeoftheHedge]

I think it's worth remembering that no contraception is 100% regardless of anything else that might affect it. Although the NHS currently states that both the combined pill and the progestogen only pill are both more than 99% effective.

[TheHodgeoftheHedge]

Just to add some balance, I have been on the combined pill for 15 years and have never got pregnant. Not that that proves anything.

But for what it's worth, I am constantly amazed at how little people seem to know about basic medication and their bodies and am therefore generally unsurprised that people become pregnant despite thinking they've been taking their pill properly.

[WhereYouLeftIt]

I know two women who got pregnant on the pill. One put it down to a bout of sickness, the other couldn't think of anything that had diminished it's effectiveness. So, no, you are not just being paranoid.

Personally I'd go belt and braces if I really didn't want to risk pregnancy. Minipill and a barrier method.

[TheOnlyLivingToyInNewYork]

So you had a spycam in every room in my flat between March and October 1999, did you? hmm

yourself, no-one is specifically talking about you. Arrogant much?

[whatsfair]

Wow, this has me worried now. I've just started the mini pill. I don't always remember to take it at exactly the same time every day, sometimes 2-3 hours later. Is that going to invalidate it?
We also use condoms, but barely have sex anymore as I'm really scared of getting pregnant again

[Chattycat78]

It depends if you have a 12 hour one or not. Some you have to take in a 2 hour window I think.

[TheHodgeoftheHedge]

Seriously guys, anecdotal evidence does not trump scientific figures.
I will say it again, the pill is more than 99% effective. It's one of the best methods on the market, but it's not infallible, no contraceptive is.