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Pregnancy Month by Month
Whoopsies! Here’s an accident we don’t think too many consumers are going to consider a happy one. Drug manufacturer Qualitest Pharmaceuticals is recalling 1.4 million packages of generic birth control pills because of a packaging error that could leave women with a bit of a surprise nine months from now.
According to the Alabama-based company, the factory mistake caused the contraceptives’ weekly pill order to be reversed. That means women taking the drugs could get the incorrect dosage on the wrong days, leading to inadequate protection and unintended pregnancies.
The nationwide recall involves the following six brands of pills that hat have been distributed to pharmacists since last year:
Cyclafem 7/7/7
Cyclafem 1/35
Emoquette
Gildess FE 1.5/30
Gildess FE 1/20
Orsythia
Previfem
Tri-Previfem
You can get a more detailed list of the affected oral contraceptives that includes their NDC number, box lot number and card lot number here on Qualitest’s web site.
According to the FDA, women who have been taking the impacted pills do not face any serious health complications. "There are no immediate health issues currently,” said the FDA in a statement.
Isn’t that a relief? Because ending up with an unplanned pregnancy would, in no way, shape or form really complicate your life.
“The unintended consequence of pregnancy is really the issue. That's why the company took a drastic action," said Qualitest spokesperson Kevin Wiggins said in response to the recall.
According to Wiggins, a pharmacist is the one who noticed the issue. Women who find they’ve been taking the recalled birth control pills, he says, can contact Qualitest at 1-877-300-6153 for more information, and should begin using a backup non-hormonal contraceptive (e.g. condoms) immediately. If you think you might have already put yourself in an uncompromising situation, you may also want to talk to your healthcare provider about emergency contraception, like the morning-after pill.
Just when you’ve congratulated yourself for remembering to take your birth control pill every day for six straight weeks.
Seriously, it looks like you really can never be too careful. If you’re in need of a birth control overhaul, consider these other contraceptive options instead. And here we were thinking this slew of bump-bearing celebrities had just forgotten to take their pill! Maybe they’re just part of the recall, too. Kind of makes you wonder if we should be preparing ourselves for a mini baby boom nine months from now.
