end of cycle and pregnancy

[ellietwo]

Hi everyone,

I'm on the pill, but I have a question, I can't find the proper information on the internet!
(everything about how to GET pregnant, nothing on how to NOT get pregnant...)
If you 're on the last pills of the strip, is it possible to get pregnant?

I was thinking, I am now on pill 20 (out of the 21) and I had sex today.
This means that the sperm could technically still be alive when I will have my first days without the pill (days after pill 21)
So is it then possible to get pregnant after all?
Should I just start the next session of 21 pills to be sure (and then skip my period for once?)

(I'm just not sure when you ovulate when you are on the pill...)

hope you will take the time to answer,
thanks in advance!

Ellie

[vashti]

Ovulation occurs 2 weeks before the start of your next period. In order to calculate when you are ovulating, you need to have extremely regular cycles.

Birth control pills work by preventing ovulation.

[qwertz]

What vash said^^. The period you will have between the two packs of pills will in effect be a "fake" period. You should not ovulate so long as you take the pills correctly.

[ShellyZ]

You never ovulate when you're on the pill. During the week of inactive pills, you have what's known as a "pill period." It's not a real period, it's just a reaction to the sudden drop in hormones. Most brands of birth control have 28 pills in each pack: 21 active pills and 7 inactive pills. Are you saying that you have 28 active pills and then 7 inactive pills?

[ellietwo]

Thanks everyone, I had no idea.

Shelly, I also saw I used the numbers incorrectly (28 in stead of 21)
I got confused, as you said I also have just 21 active pills !

thanks again

Ellie

[ShellyZ]

Then no, you won't get pregnant during the active or inactive pills, as long as you're taking them correctly (same time every day).

[MaidenMinx]

And another piece of info, the most important pills in the packet are the first few active ones. The reason there is 7 inactive pills has nothing to do with how long you are likely to bleed for. There are 7 and 7 only because if you have more than 7 days without the pill you will ovulate. Once you ovulate, the pill is basically ineffective for that month.


On a side note, does anyone know if there is any research into the effect of taking the pill on menopause? Or am I the only woman that finds the whole idea of stopping ovulation scary and unnatural? (having said that, I am on the pill at the moment, but that's while I try to figure out the best alternative)

[ShellyZ]

does anyone know if there is any research into the effect of taking the pill on menopause? Or am I the only woman that finds the whole idea of stopping ovulation scary and unnatural? (having said that, I am on the pill at the moment, but that's while I try to figure out the best alternative)

I'm not sure I understand your question. Do you mean the effect of taking the pill during menopause? Or taking the pill until menopause? Stopping ovulation may be unnatural, but birth control in general is unnatural. That doesn't mean it's dangerous or unhealthy. Why does it scare you? For most women, the pill is safe and effective. Personally, I find the whole idea of pregnancy and childbirth scary, so I'm happy to pop a pill to prevent that!

[MaidenMinx]

Ok what I would like to know is if stopping yourself from ovulating for months or years is going to have an effect on when menopause occurs, how long it lasts, severity of symptoms etc?

I am one of those people that is wary of a lot of medicine because we still know so little about the how the body and brain works. We are born with a finite amount of eggs and a biological clock. What are the long term effects of stopping those eggs from dropping? Has their been any research into that.

Pregnancy and childbirth are unpleasant but nothing to fear, IMO. Taking a drug when you have no idea what the long term effects maybe, that's something to worry about.

[IndiReloaded]

[url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17337757]Age and menopausal effects of hormonal birth contr... [Am J Epidemiol. 2007] - PubMed result[/url]

There is some research on this. Do a keyword search on PubMed/medline: menopause, birth control, also HRT.

[vashti]

I'm not sure I understand your question. Do you mean the effect of taking the pill during menopause? Or taking the pill until menopause? Stopping ovulation may be unnatural, but birth control in general is unnatural. That doesn't mean it's dangerous or unhealthy. Why does it scare you? For most women, the pill is safe and effective. Personally, I find the whole idea of pregnancy and childbirth scary, so I'm happy to pop a pill to prevent that!

Actually, I believe they recommend you find another form of birth control after the age of 35.

[ShellyZ]

Actually, I believe they recommend you find another form of birth control after the age of 35.

Yes, the pill is not entirely safe for smokers or women over 35. That's why I said "most women." Hopefully by the time I'm 35, I can find a doctor willing to sterilize me. At my age, doctors don't take me seriously, so my current method of birth control is pill + condom. Works beautifully.

Ok what I would like to know is if stopping yourself from ovulating for months or years is going to have an effect on when menopause occurs, how long it lasts, severity of symptoms etc?

There has not been any evidence to suggest that the pill has any effect on menopause.

I am one of those people that is wary of a lot of medicine because we still know so little about the how the body and brain works. We are born with a finite amount of eggs and a biological clock. What are the long term effects of stopping those eggs from dropping? Has their been any research into that.

There has been research, as one poster has kindly linked to here. That, and millions of women have taken the pill since 1960. We've come a long way since the original pill. Back in the 60's, the pill had very high doses of estrogen, and women suffered more side effects as a result. However, even that didn't have any bad effects on their fertility (once off the pill) or menopause. These days, the pill has much lower doses of hormones (because doctors realized that 1,000 mg of estrogen in a pill was totally unnecessary) and the side effects are much less severe. And there are so many different brands today. If one brand causes side effects for you, try a different brand until you find one that doesn't cause side effects. But it sounds like you're worried about the pill causing infertility? That's actually not a known side effect of the pill, so no worries.

Pregnancy and childbirth are unpleasant but nothing to fear, IMO. Taking a drug when you have no idea what the long term effects maybe, that's something to worry about.

In general, we have a pretty good idea of the long-term effects of the pill. The BC pill is not new. Concerns will vary from person to person. Myself, I'm not worried about the long-term effects on my fertility because I never want kids anyway. It would actually be kinda cool if the pill could make me infertile, lol. I really do fear pregnancy/childbirth. For me, it's something to be avoided at all costs. But I understand that you have a different perspective and so your concerns about future fertility/menopause are very real for you. But if the pill caused infertility, there would be a lot more infertile women in the world.

[MaidenMinx]

Actually it's not infertility I am worried about. My one child is Autistic (as I'm sure everyone here knows by now) and unless I win the lotto I am not willing to try my luck on another child (I would like to clarify here that it's not Autism per se that worries me, its the severity. My boy is mild and from what we are seeing in him now, he should be able to live an independant apparelntly 'normal' life). What worries me is that menopause may be more drawn out.

I must say I always find it surprising when I encounter a woman that definitely doesn't want kids. Personally, I didn't think I wanted kids before having one. Now I realise I had more mothering ability in me than I ever thought possible. Do you just not like kids? Are you career driven? Please, excuse my curiosity. I was made aware of my immature TOM a few years ago and have found the best way to counter it is to ask people who think differently to me about their motivations. Tell me to shove my curiosity if you want. I won't take offence.

[ShellyZ]

Hmm, I don't think the pill causes menopause to be more drawn-out, but you could always ask your doctor to make sure. I've never heard about it.

I don't mind the questions at all. Actually, I prefer it when people ask instead of making assumptions. I always knew that I never wanted to experience pregnancy or childbirth. I mean no disrespect to women who want that, it just seems horrible to me. Morning sickness, back aches, mood swings, invasive medical exams, walking around with a big uncomfortable belly...and this goes on for 9 months! I don't know how anyone stands it. And then of course labor pains and childbirth *shudder*. To me, that sounds like the worst form of torture I could imagine. Sorry for that. Anyway, so I figured I would just adopt a kid someday. Then I could be a parent and raise a child without having to endure all that other stuff. Best of both worlds.

But then. Over the next few years, I started to wonder if I even wanted to be a parent. I knew I never wanted to be a stay-at-home mom because then I would be dependent on my husband's income. And I would be stuck at home with a kid all day and I would lose my mind. So if I had a kid, I would be a working mother, which means I would have to work all day and then come home and spend all my free time taking care of a kid. And I would be stressed and exhausted and worn-out beyond the limit. I wouldn't have enough time or energy to do the things I enjoy. I like to read in the evenings, I like to get enough sleep at night, I like to volunteer, I like to have a social life...and that just seems impossible with a job and kids. Some women manage to do it, God knows how. I'm tired after taking care of my little cousins for one afternoon! They're adorable and I love them, but taking care of kids is hard work. I wouldn't want that job 24/7 for the rest of my life. I like kids, I just like other people's kids, lol. And I admit, I like animals better. I've always had pets, I couldn't imagine a life without dogs and/or cats in my home. I volunteer at the animal shelter too, another thing I probably wouldn't have time for if I had kids. Kids just take over your life, it seems. Kudos to people who do it and do a great job; they have my respect for sure.