About getting pregnant whilst taking the pill

[QuickSillyQuestion]

Disclaimer: this is only for a short story that I am trying to write for a creative writing class, so it only needs to be broadly accurate, so that I don’t sound totally stupid. (Well, not from a biological perspective anyway, I am pretty sure the rest of the story is going to sound stupid!)

If you were taking the pill and something, say a bad prawn or a bug, made you vomit for a couple of days, would missing the pill for a short space of time like that be enough for pregnancy to be possible?

If you didn’t realise, as you wouldn’t, and carried on taking it, would that affect conception or make any difference to the pregnancy?

How quickly would you eventually find out; would there be no breakthrough bleed?

Thanks so much. The brief is: “write a story in a genre you never normally read”, so I am having a go at a Mills & Boon style thing .

If you were taking the pill and something, say a bad prawn or a bug, made you vomit for a couple of days, would missing the pill for a short space of time like that be enough for pregnancy to be possible?

Yes, it would be possible. Generally you'd need to miss two or more pills to risk pregnancy, so if someone was throwing up or had diarrhoea for two or three days, that could make pregnancy a possibility.

The pregnancy would be unaffected by the mother continuing to take the pill while pregnant.

Not sure about breakthrough bleeds - I think that would probably vary from woman to woman.

If you're writing something Mills & Boonish and wanted to avoid having your heroine puking her guts up, you could have her take antibiotics instead, maybe for something innocuous like a throat infection or a toothache - some antibiotics can affect the absorption of the pill and result in unplanned pregnancy.

Definitely possible. If you vomit you are told to use another method for a week. It's just as viable as Bridget Jones' out of date condoms.

I knew someone who threw up once (hangover), not too long after taking their pill, then subsequently got pregnant. She realised when her boobs started growing and were really tender.

Sorry I should have said this. I suspect finding out would vary from woman to woman. I imagine you could create pregnancy symptoms that would make her consider the possibility if you wanted her to find out early. If you don't want her to find out you could make her take them with no break so she never has a billed anyway.

I believe the bleed can be affected but isn't always.

I know someone who became pregnant after missing several, carried on taking it (progesterone only so no break) and only found out at about 6 weeks due to sudden but constant nausea and tiredness (and enlarged nipples too I believe )

Hope that helps somewhat!

OP it won’t sound stupid! Well done for doing something fun for you!

As far as I know having a runny tummy and NOT missing a pill is still enough to get you pregnant as you poop out the pill remnants before they do their thing.

I fell pregnant on the combined pill, i threw up twice but hadn't missed any pills. I was however not very consistent with time of day to take it. My friend had fallen pregnant and experienced slight stabbing pains. Panic began when I realised I had same. Absence of period during week break was second clue and I didn't experience sickness til around 8 or 9 weeks

I know two people who have got pregnant this way. No missed pills.

Happened to me twice once with injection and pill. First time I had bleeding off and on for five months ! And I lost weight! My feelings the second time it happened “does nothing f@@@king work”

Thank you so much everyone, so helpful, I (And my feisty heroine) really appreciate it