Effectiveness of Birth Control Pill

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-22-2004
Effectiveness of Birth Control Pill
1
Mon, 11-22-2004 - 5:15pm

I just had a few questions concerning the effectiveness of the BCP...I hope these don't sound like silly questions, but i just wanted to be totally sure :)

Firstly, i know that when taking oral antibiotics, the effectiveness is reduced...is it the same for topical antibiotics (like neosporin)?

Secondly, i read that suppplements can also reduce the effectiveness (i.e. St. John's Wort, i think it is)...is this also valid for multi-vitamin & multi-mineral supplements?

Thanks in advance.

Larissa




Edited 11/22/2004 5:42 pm ET ET by rissi_pieces
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-14-2004
Mon, 11-22-2004 - 5:30pm

Hi, Larissa! Welcome to the board!

>>Firstly, i know that when taking oral antibiotics, the effectiveness is reduced...is it the same for topical antibiotics (like neosporin)?<<

The reason why oral antibiotics affect BCPs is because they kill off all of the good bacteria in the intestines. While that bacteria would normally aid in absorption, their lack means that your BCPs may not be getting properly processed by your body, which in turn means a dip in your protection by some unknown amount. As for topical antibiotics, I think you should be safe. The antibiotics in something like neosporin is a very low dose and shouldn`t be something that you use daily. Since they`re not really strong enough to kill off intestinal bacteria, I don`t think they should have an affect on it.

>>Secondly, i read that suppplements can also reduce the effectiveness (i.e. St. John's Wart, i think it is)...is this also valid for multi-vitamin & multi-mineral supplements?<<

Yup, St. John`s can affect how the pill is absorbed by your body. Multi-vitamin and multi-mineral supplements are usually considered safe. In fact, it`s recommended that most women should take a daily multi-vitamin to help maintain the body and bone mass and the like. If you have a specific question about a vitamin or mineral, you should ask your doctor or a pharmacist. I know that Vitamin C in high doses can cause irregular bleeding, so some seemingly harmless thing may affect your BCP in a way that you`re not expecting.

Hope this helps!