I vomited after taking a birth control pill. Should I take another one?
The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.
The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.
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Patient's Query
Hello doctor,
I am on regular birth control pills and was taking these as usual. I took the seven inactive pills and began taking the active pills. I took it for three nights as per schedule but forgot to take it on the fourth. And I had sex on the same night, with a condom, but there may have been sperm near my vagina afterward. At about 10 AM on the next day, I took the missed pill. That afternoon I vomited. Soon after this, I took an emergency contraceptive pill and continued the other active pills as usual. Considering these factors, are chances of pregnancy high?
Hello,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
You are absolutely safe and there is no chance of pregnancy. Let me explain.Birth control pills act by creating a continuous constant hormonal level. They prevent the normal hormonal fluctuations. So, ovulation will not occur. Only if you miss two or more tablets, the hormonal suppression will be lost and there will be a chance of pregnancy, especially if you miss it during the second half of the cycle. So, I do not see any chance of pregnancy in the present scenario. You have not missed a pill too, as you have taken the missed pill within 12 hours. The vomiting was only two to four hours later and not immediately. So, the hormonal suppression is not lost.The emergency pill was not required to be taken. This pill will delay the periods by one or two weeks.
Hope I have clarified your query. Do write back. All the best.
Patient's Query
Hello doctor,
Thank you for your response.
Could you please clarify what this means 'only if you miss two or more tablets, the hormonal suppression will be lost and there will be a chance of pregnancy, especially if you miss it during the second half of the cycle.' I had seven days of inactive pills, followed by three consistent ones, before this incident. Do the seven inactive pills count as 'missed pill' days? And could you please explain what you mean by 'missing the pills in the second half of periods'?
Hello,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
You stand a chance of pregnancy only if:
As you do not come under either of these categories, you have full protection. As you took the forgotten pill within 12 hours of missing it and vomited only six hours later, the pill cannot be considered as missed. Do not worry about the inactive pills. Some of the packets have 21 pills. The inactive pills are given only to ensure you do not forget the right day of starting the active pill. So, when we say 'the pills', we are referring only to the active pills. Even if you leave a gap of seven days instead of taking the inactive pills, you will not have a problem.
If I may further explain about the hormonal suppression, FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) is the hormone that is responsible for the selection and recruitment of follicles for ovulation. This hormone starts to increase by the third or fourth day of periods. So, if you have taken an initial suppression, the hormone will take a day or two, to get back to the increasing trend. By then you have taken the next pill, thus leaving no gap for the normal rise of hormones.
Hope I have clarified your query. Do write back. All the best.
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