I need some reassurance

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-11-2004
I need some reassurance
5
Mon, 07-12-2004 - 5:19pm
Hi - I just posted the other night, but I cannot stop thinking about this so I thought I would write you again. I am a Sunday start on Trinessa (so I just started my first active week on the 4th). My boyfriend and I had unprotected sex on the 7th. He did pull out (which I know is not that effective). That night I took my pill around 10:15 to 10:20, and on the 5th (Monday), I took my pill between 10:40 and 10:45. I have been on OTC for almost two years and just started TriNessa within the past six months. I almost always take my pills at 10 PM. In my last posting, you said that a missed pill is +/- 2 hours of the regular time and that I should be fine. However, it just worries me. I also have one more question...My roommate recently went to the doctor and she said that just to be safe, you should not have sex from day 10 to day 17 (and day 1 is the first day of your period). So, if this is true, I had sex on day 9. If this is not true, can you please give me the accurate information? Thank you so much for your help. Should I be worried about this? I have talked to a nurse, a med student, a pharmacy student, and I have read this website and another, which all say I should be okay. Do you think I should worry? And yes, I am a worrier. Thanks again!!
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-11-2004
Mon, 07-12-2004 - 6:38pm
*bump*
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Mon, 07-12-2004 - 7:30pm
Hi moments12, welcome back!

Let’s calm down, ok? Step back just a bit. Take a deep breath and exhale. Now, repeat after me: I am fine!

Your pill time is 10:00 PM and you were no more than 45 minutes off. That’s good. This board considers +/- 2 hours of your pill time to be on-time. If taken correctly: on time, you haven’t been sick and vomited or had diarrhea within 2 hrs. after taking your pill and if you aren’t taking medicines or supplements that might reduce the effectiveness of your pills then your pills are very effective.

“In my last posting, you said that a missed pill is +/- 2 hours of the regular time…”

I hope I didn’t say that. If you are outside the +/-2 hour window then you are LATE with your pill and if you are 8 hours late that constitutes a MISS as far as this board is concerned. If you miss a pill (more than 8 hours late) you should take it as soon as you remember it and use back-up for the next 7 days of correct pill usage.

“My roommate recently went to the doctor and she said that just to be safe, you should not have sex from day 10 to day 17 (and day 1 is the first day of your period).”

Is your roommate on hormonal contraceptives? If she is and is taking them correctly then she shouldn’t be ovulating and there is no need to worry about counting days, 10-17 etc. If she is cycling naturally and has a ‘typical’ 28 day cycle then she will probably be fertile mid cycle, somewhere between days 10 and 17. However, that is a very dangerous assumption to make as a basis for contraception because any number of things, diet, stress, illness etc. can delay ovulation and throw your cycle off. You won’t know when you will ovulate unless you are charting your fertility signs; basal body temperature, cervical position and cervical fluid. If either you or she is interested in learning more about your menstrual cycle a wonderful book on the subject is Toni Weschler’s Taking Charge of Your Fertility which you can check out from your local library.

.”If this is not true, can you please give me the accurate information?”

If you are taking TriNessa correctly then it is 98-99% effective. The primary means by which combined oral contraceptives prevent pregnancy is by suppression of ovulation.

This is from the prescribing information on the TriNessa website: http://www.oralcontraceptives.com/brand_trinessa.asp

“Clinical Pharmacology

Oral Contraceptives

Combination oral contraceptives act by suppression of gonadotropins. Although the primary mechanism of this action is inhibition of ovulation, other alterations include changes in the cervical mucus (which increases the difficulty of sperm entry into the uterus) and the endometrium (which reduces the likelihood of implantation).”

If ovulation is suppressed then there is no need to concern yourself about what cycle day you are on as far as being ‘safe’ is concerned. Does this help? Again, you should be fine.

Good luck,

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-11-2004
Mon, 07-12-2004 - 7:53pm
I appreciate you responding so quickly to my email. This board is very informative and helpful and I am glad that I found it. Again, thank you so much.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-11-2004
Sat, 07-17-2004 - 11:34am
I am not sure if I can reply to this and have it moved up again, but I wanted to post to my original posting so I did not have to explain my story again. I know you said that I should be fine (I took my 1st active pill 45 min late and my fourth active pill 20 min late and I had unprotected IC that same night), but I cannot stop thinking about it. I have this knot in my stomach (like I am worried, maybe cramping, I dont know), but I think it may be just stress. Can stress about this type of thing feel like PMS symptoms? (I am not supposed to start until a week from this Tuesday and I usually start getting PMS symptoms around this Tuesday or Wednesday, which is why I am worried that it may not be stress related) Does this make sense? Thanks in advance!!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Sat, 07-17-2004 - 11:52am
Do you worry like this every month? If so, maybe you should try using two forms of birth control (like condoms along with your pill). Not that you NEED to use two forms of birth control, but you are so obviously worried that maybe it would put your mind at ease.

Also, have you considered the nuvaring? You leave it in your vagina for 3 weeks at a time and then take it out for a week to have your period. You don't have to take a pill every day, and maybe that would keep you from worrying every time you take your pill a few minutes late.

Another option is to stop having sex altogether. Do you find yourself worrying and anxiously waiting for your period every month? If so, regardless of how old you are, maybe you are not emotionally ready for a sexual relationship.

Good luck to you.

Lisa