So paranoid - just started BC
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So paranoid - just started BC
| Thu, 11-04-2004 - 3:03pm |
Hi everyone!
I just started taking Orthotrycyclene (sp).
| Thu, 11-04-2004 - 3:03pm |
Hi everyone!
I just started taking Orthotrycyclene (sp).
First question: According to this board...you could take your pill as early as 1:00pm or as late as 5:00 pm and still be protected...the 55 minutes late therefore should not be an issue.
Second question: I too am a Day One starter...and actually, I havent seen too many people on this board, until you mentioned it, say that they too are a day one starter. According to the information you are protected with being a Day One starter considering that you are not exceeding 7 days without hormones. Provided you continue taking your pill correctly it is HIGHLY unlikely that you could get pregnant through fooling around. Many people use their pill as their sole protection against pregnancy while having intercourse so the fact that you are correctly taking your pill and practicing abstinence makes it highly unlikely that you could get pregnant. That said, I understand the paranoia. I have been on the pill for 5+ years but only recently began using it as my sole protection against pregnancy. I figure I need a couple months to learn to trust the pill until I will begin to feel less worried. Good Luck!
1) This board and most doctors consider taking your pill "on time" to be +/- 2 hours from your set time. That means that if your set time is 3:00 pm, you can take your pill between 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm - a 4 hour window and you`re still protected! Your best bet is still to take it at the same time every day, though - the idea is to take the pill as closest to 24 hours apart as you can. But there is some leeway, so don`t freak out!
2) You know, I had this same problem with being paranoid about pregnancy without having sex. Here are some useful facts that might help ya.
During intercourse:
---- During ejaculation, a man releases several million sperm.
---- Out of these several million little swimmers, the greater majority of them get trapped in the cervical mucus or keel over because of the highly acidic environment of the vagina.
---- Of the few thousand that continue on, quite of few of them lack the energy and vigor to make it aaaall the way up through the vaginal canal, through the cervical mucus, through the uterus and up, up, into the fallopian tubes.
---- To actually fertilize an egg, the hundreds of guys that are left (sounds like a lot, but just wait) have to manage to weasel through the cement-like coating that surrounds and protects the egg. Again, by this point, most of em lack the vigor to break through. They die off.
---- If one makes it through, fertilization.
Now, let`s think about this. It takes the odds of ejaculating into the vagina - giving millions of sperm - to produce just ONE sperm that can successfully fertilize an egg. Just fooling around, if you happen to get any sperm in your vagina at all...well, the poor guy`s odds are pretty slim. Now, I`m not saying that these types of pregnancies don`t happen...cause they do. But your odds are SUPER low.
AND! Brilliant girl that you are, you`re on birth control, too. So even if you do get some little swimmers down there through one means or another, you were *extremely* unlikely to have ovulated so there`s no egg there to reach. (Plus, birth control puts up barriers that would even prevent the sperm from getting to the fallopian tubes in the first place).
Now, just think about all that, hon. And take a deeeeep breath. Relax and enjoy some mutual fun with your guy! Pregnancy should be the last thing on your mind.
If you ever have any questions or anything, feel free to ask! There are a ton of very knowledgeable women around here willing to give a hand.
Lena
Thank you ladies for your wonderful advice and support!
I figured I would start bc NOW, rather than later, just because first of all, I wanted to be protected no matter what and secondly, my doctor suggested it for my ability to *still* break out at the age of 25.
Hugs, Vicky
On a combined (estrogen/progestin) pill like OTC this board considers on-time to be +/-2 hours of your regular pill time. So, as the other members have said 55 minutes isn't anything to worry about. Since you are new to oral contraceptives it might be a good idea to read some of the posts in the FAQs: 'How the pill works', 'Taking your pills correctly', 'Common pill side effects and 'Irregular bleeding anyone?' which cover a lot of the basics.
If you start your pills on the first day of your period the manufacturers say you are protected immediately. However, this board recommends using back-up for the entire first cycle while you are learning to take your pills correctly. That way if you are late or forget a pill or Aunt Flo is late or is different from when you were cycling naturally you will know you were protected and won't have an 'Am I pg?' freak-out. Let us know how you like OTC, ok?
Good luck,
Jill