Birth Control: 3 Steps To Avoid Accidental Pregnancies While On The Pill
If you're about to start taking birth control pills, you've chosen a very effective method of birth control. In fact, when taken as prescribed, only about 1 in 100 women will become pregnant while on the pill. It's important to remember, however, that the key to effectiveness is taking the pill as prescribed. Here are three steps you should take to avoid becoming pregnant while taking birth control pills.
Be Consistent
When it comes to taking birth control pills, consistency is the most important factor to avoiding accidental pregnancies. Consistency includes taking your pills at the same time every day, and remembering to take the first pill in the pack on the right day. To ensure that you take the pills at the same time every day, you should choose a time when you know you'll awake, and near your pills every day of the week, including the weekends. To ensure that you take the first pill from the pack on the right day, you should avoid tossing out the placebos. Those are the last weeks worth of pills in the pack that contain no hormones. While you don't need to take those, you should. That will ensure that you don't forget to take the first official pill of each pack.
Be Prepared
When you're taking birth control pills, running out can spell disaster. That's why it's crucial that you're always prepared. One way to be prepared, and stay in control of your birth control, is to order your pills in advance. As soon as you take the first pill in your last pack, order a new set of pills. That will give you enough time to see the doctor, if it's time for another exam, and hand your prescription in at the pharmacy. By filling your prescription early, you'll avoid running out, and being left without birth control for a day or two.
Be Ready with a Backup Plan
When you're on birth control pills, it's important to remember that some medications will make them less effective. If you're going to be taking medications used to treat tuberculosis, HIV, fungal infections, and certain sleep disorders, you'll need to use a different form of birth control during treatment. To make sure you avoid an accidental pregnancy, before starting a new medication, always ask your doctor how it will interfere with your birth control pills.
Now that you're going to be using birth control pills, make sure they're as effective as they should be. Use the tips provided here to help you avoid accidental pregnancies.
