Can pregnancy occur due to unprotected sex after stopping birth control pills?

Question

Hello doctor,

I stopped taking birth control pills two months back and had unprotected sex multiple times the following week. I have been spotting, but it feels like a period. The spotting appeared a week following unprotected sex, but I am supposed to have periods the next month. Can I be pregnant?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have read your query, and I can understand your concern.

If you have been taking pills regularly till the middle of the month, then there is no chance you can get pregnant. For a young lady of 25 years with normal weight, periods will usually be regular, so your ovulation would be around the second week of the month. When you were on the pills, your ovulation had stopped, so there was no chance of pregnancy. After stopping the pills, your hormones must come back to normal, and then your ovulation will start. The life of an egg is 24 hours, and that of sperm is 72 hours. So after the last pill, you should get spotting or periods in seven to ten days. Then after 12 to 16 days, you will ovulate. If all is well, you should ovulate any day now, and any sexual exposure now can lead to pregnancy, not your previous sexual encounters.

I hope this information will help you.

Thank you.