Really personal... questions.

[ex-laecheln.livejournal.com]

Questions about birth control-pregnancy-abortions-etc etc etc

So... I'm on birth control. Not for reasons of that I'm sexually active, but for other reasons. I am pretty flexible in regards to what time I take my pill everyday -- as in I usually take it at night sometime in between 7pm and 9pm. It hasnt ever really mattered because it has done what it needs to do in regards to regulating my body, but that is it. I do also know that at least once in the last week i ahve forgotten to take my pill until the following morning.

Anyway. I had unprotected sex with a guy on friday night/ saturday morning. I was also on my period when I had sex.

What I was wondering, is well a couple of things. How possible is it that I could get pregnant, given that I was menstruating at the time... and also, that I've never been very regular with taking my birth control?

Also, what is the best way to find out if I am pregnant, and how long do I have to wait to do this?

My last question is... I have heard that if you think you are pregnant or if there is a possibility of it, you should not take birth control because it can cause spontaneous abortions. I'm very... well, staunchly oppossed to even premarital sex (and I am in disgust of myself) but I am also very oppossed to abortions. And if there is even a chance I could be pregnant -- which there is, since I had sex more than once with this guy that night and I know that he came inside me.

I am suppossed to start my next pack of bc pills next thursday, but i am not going to because I dont want to do anything stupid before I am completely informed about this. By the way, the bc I am on is brevicon.

Anyone have any advice, or answers to any of this? Or other communities or websites they can refer me to? Thanks.

Comments

[macabre-grrl.livejournal.com]

Get thee to a planned parenthood. I also heard that continuing with BCP will NOT cause an abortion. You would have to take an EC pill, which is like a month of birth control in two pills.

[ex-laecheln.livejournal.com]

I will... not take an EC pill. I don't... agree with what planned parenthood teaches and supports.

[macabre-grrl.livejournal.com]

I'm not saying they will MAKE you take EC...I'm just saying that BCP will not do what EC does. And like others said, PP is pro-CHOICE. Which means your choice to keep the potential pregnancy is quite acceptable.

[ex-laecheln.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know that they wont make me. But on a larger spectrum I don't agree with pro-choice organizations... to me abortion is never an option.

[bitpsych.livejournal.com]

Pro-choice does not mean pro-abortion. It's one option they (Planned Parenthood) offer, but they are accredited and offer much more legitimate advice than a 'crisis pregnancy center' does. If you say that you don't want to have an abortion, they /will not push it on you/, and will instead go over your other options with you.


Emergency contraception does not cause an abortion. It prevents pregnancy before conception (and sometimes even before fertilization). It may delay the release of an egg, thicken your cervical mucus, thin your endometrium, or all of the above. If you are still against it, wait and see if your next period comes. If it doesn't, take a test.

However, I should say that I think your chances are extremely low unless you're on a minipill. With regular combination pills, taking them in the window of, say, 7-9 is perfectly fine. And no, the pill will NOT cause an abortion. That's totally unfounded and true -- go find whoever told you that and hit them for me ;P

Good luck

[probabilistic.livejournal.com]

Are you also morally opposed to emergency contraception? It won't end a pregnancy if the embryo has already implanted in your uterine lining, but it can prevent either fertilization or the implantation of an embryo up to 120 hours after sex. More info on EC can be found on the Planned Parenthood site (http://www.plannedparenthood.org/ec/). Even though you're opposed to abortion, the Planned Parenthood site still has excellent resources for things like EC, the effectiveness of contraceptives, and pregnancy testing.

[ex-laecheln.livejournal.com]

Yes I am opposed to emergency contraception also... It is killing a chance at life. My mistake and if there is consequences, I need to deal with the consequences. I really just want to know about whether or not the birth control pill can affect this... etc. And how soon I could take a pregnancy test or something?

[puttysan.livejournal.com]

But then, isn't BCP killing the chance at life? Isn't not fertilizing every released egg killing the chance of life? Wouldn't condoms be killing the chance of life? EC doesn't terminate a pregnancy, it prevents one from occuring, just the like BC methods you're already using.

You can take a pregnancy test the first day of your missed period. But as they said above, unprotected sex means you need to be tested for STIs, be it at Planned Parenthood or at your personal doctor's office.

[ex-laecheln.livejournal.com]

Yes, it is. I am only on BC because of medical circumstances, and I never had any intentions of being sexually active while on the pill. I had a long discussion with my priest in regards to this before I went on the pill. Any form of contraception is preventing a chance at life. I know that.

[kwokj.livejournal.com]

In my non-professional opinion, I would guess that your chance of pregnancy is very low. I know you are against the work of PP, but they (or your regular doctor) should be able to answer your question as to what would would happen if you have fertilised an ova and continue to take the pill. They can also advise you about pregnancy testing. The tests you would get from the drug store are only sensitive enough for the day around when you expect your next period, which isn't very helpful if you are an irregular pill user, but it is around two weeks pregnancy. A doctor or PP may have earlier tests available.

[inanna.livejournal.com]

Well, a few things...

odds are, you aren't pregnant. Your BCP shouldn't cause a spontaneous abortion - the amount is enough to surpress egg release but shouldn't be enough to terminate a pregnancy unless you are on an extrememly high dose or are taking multiple pills every day of your cycle. But, to be certain, you can contact planned parenthood, your primary care physician, or your pharmacist. That being said, again, the odds are incredibly low that this sexual encounter would have caused a pregnancy. The earliest you can test is the day you are late (ie the day after your period was supposed to start). Although, at that early time there is a better than even chance you'll get a false negative, as the hormone the test is looking for is very small in your system and is easily missed. There are blood tests you can take that measure on a more minute scale and are available through your doctor.

Now, there are some other issues....

you had unprotected sex - realistically the least of your worries is an unplanned pregnancy. HIV, PID, gohonnorea, syphillis, herpes, hepititis, and HPV are all sexually transmitted and many can kill you. i would get to Planned Parenthood ASAP and get a full std screen - as well as find out about some emotional counselling. If you chose to have pre-marital sex and are now filled with self-disgust, you really need to get some help to deal with this. If you didn't choose to have sex (meaning you were forced), then you also need help dealing with that.

You are the only one who has control over YOUR body, and if you are doing things that are so against your moral and ethical beliefs, you need some help. Self disgust and remorse won't help you get over this - and may actually put you in an emotional position where it could happen again.

Oh, and although Planned Parenthood does provide the option of pregnancy termination, they are not opposed to women choosing to have their babies and keep them or put them up for adoption. They do have information about those services and are happy to share them. Planned Parenthood is a Pro-Choice organization...meaning they support a woman's right to choose what happens to her body... to have a child is just as much a valid choice as to not... and they are there for their patients for whatever choice you make.

::applauds::

[ex-norah428.livejournal.com]

Very well said!

Re: ::applauds::

[punk-rawkgal007.livejournal.com]

word!

[aflaminghalo.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't be so much worried that I was pregnant as about what i could have picked up from the guy..

But yeah, get thee to a doctor or other organisation where you are that can test you for preganancy/other things so you'll be in a better position to make decisions about your pills and a better state of mind. :)

[bitpsych.livejournal.com]

I should also mention, however, that you should get yourself to some sort of doctor, Planned Parenthood or otherwise, and get a FULL STD screen. You'll need to go back at 6 weeks and 3 months, too, I believe.