My girlfriend might be pregnant

As far as I know you should be covered from about a day after she takes it(Id imagine you have to give it 24 hours so the body can absorb the change its making)
Obviously im not a doctor but the whole point of taking the pill is that it works pretty soon so you dont have to wait before commencing 'naughtiness'.

In this day and age please use condoms.
Remember the scouts motto 'be prepared'

Hope it all works out well.

Um, no, not if it's birth control pills. Generally, you're told that it's a month before they become effective. If it's a barrier form such as a diaphragm then it's effective whenever you use it. Of course barrier forms, just like all forms of birth control except for absolute and complete abstinence, have a failure rate. Nothing's perfect, but gambling with the odds is not a great or smart thing to do.

One thing that affects the odds is where in her cycle she was, e. g. right before her period, right after, two weeks after, etc. This is in conjunction with what's known as the rhythm method, which is a horribly ineffective means of birth control but it does give an idea of odds. Intercourse at or near the two week mark after the end of her period means you're very close to the time of ovulation, so the chances of conception are higher. But sperm can live up to two weeks, I understand, so that means, essentially, that the first two and a half weeks after her period ends are potentially dangerous in terms of conception. As for after the magical two week mark, that's not a perfect indicator, either, as ovulation times can vary. See http://www.pamf.org/teen/sex/birthcontrol/rhythmmethod.html for more information on the rhythm method.

Anyway, just like material girl, I'm no doctor. If you are concerned, get a home pregnancy test and follow its directions perfectly to be sure. And if you want to be extra sure, go for an appointment with the doctor as well. If she's not pregnant, consider this a warning and never, ever do it again -- tossing your future around because you got caught up in the moment is, well, immature at best. Sorry if that doesn't sound very nice, but it's true. And, of course, if she is pregnant, you've got a lot more to think about it.

For your sakes, and for the sake of your futures and the future of any kids you may have, either together or with other partners, I hope it turns out as good for you as it can at this stage of the game.

She said shes a "Sunday Starter". So it was about a week after her period. Does that give it less of a chance?

Actually for the majority of birth control pills it is two weeks before they become effective. I have taken birth control pills for about 15 years (never had an unplanned pregnancy). The doctor should have explained this to your girlfriend during her exam. It should also be explained on the packet of birth control pills.

It probably is less of a chance than two weeks into her cycle, however, as jespah said it isn't a perfect science. The more regular her cycles are the more likely you are safe also. But this is the poorest form of birth control as women have gotten pregnant even during their period. Know why there are so many Irish twins - Catholics only support the rhythm method as a form of birth control (if you can consider it birth control).

If you are concerned buy a pregnancy test. They are pretty acurate fairly early on. Usually you test about when your girlfriend expects to have her next period.

geeeez......I have always told my younger brothers to carry a condom around in their wallets! my concerns were mostly STD's!
however for young people reading this and find themselves oneday in this situation....go to the doctor and get the 'Day after' Pill that will solve your problem and you will definately know you wont be pregnant, but his can only be taken the very next day.
Well all I can say to you is you will definately know in approx 3 weeks if she is or not.
If she is -talk to both your parents.......if she is not, I hope this has given you a bit of a fright and remember to use protection next time. :wink:

Hey Smokie1627, I can tell you're pretty worried. I'm sorry, but that's a good thing. At least if you dodge this bullet you'll be more cautious about getting carried away without your own source of protection available. In other words, keep a condom in your pocket from now on, k?

Most sperm will only survive about 6 days in the presence of 'sperm friendly' mucus. They will die in a few hours without it. It begins to die off right away but there will be a few hearty swimmers still there through day 5 or 6. There has been research with recorded longer longevity than 6 days, but its rare. If your girl friend started taking her pill on the first Sunday after the beginning of her previous period she probably started taking them somewhere between day2 and day7 of her cycle.

Assuming she has a regular 28 day cycle and ovulates around day 14, she will be fertile on days 14 and 15 because the egg only survives for 24 hours. She could become pregnant if she had unprotected intercourse on days 9 through 15. Lets take the worst case here and say she started taking her pills on day 7 and had unprotected sex 5 days later on day 12. The sperm deposited on day 12 would still be plenty viable 2 days later if she did in fact ovulate (which she might not because of the effects of the pills). The best case scenario is that she began taking pills on day 2 and you had sex on day 7. The sperm will only be viable until day 13 so if she ovulates on day 14 you're probably ok. All this gets thrown out the window if she doesn't have a regular 28 day cycle, and there's still the big unknown on how much effect the 5 or more days of birth control pills had on her ovulation.

How long ago was this camping trip? Over-the-counter pregnancy tests are very reliable from the first day of the next expected period. At most you'll have to wait a couple weeks to do the test yourselves. Blood tests can be done through a dr or clinic as early as 48 hours after fertilization.

I hope it all works out for you.

I am a surgeon not an ob/gyn, but here is a little information.

DISCLAIMER: This information is NOT intended to be used as medical advice. Your girlfriend (preferably accompanied by you) should seek the care and advice of a licensed ob/gyn.

First, the effect and effectiveness of the pills depends on the type of pill (what hormone combination it has) and the dosage. Generally, it is safest to use another method of contraception during the first month of being on the pill.

Ovulation usually occurs at about 14 days after the beginning of menses, but that varies among individual women (depending on the length of her cycle - if the cycle is only 24 days then she ovulates at ~12 days after beginning of menses, etc.). Sometimes ovulation may occur sooner or later within a given cycle. Additionally, sperm can remain viable for 24-48 hours after ejaculation. Therefore, a pregnancy cannot be ruled out at this point.

It is advisable to discontinue using the pills until she can be certain that she IS NOT pregnant. However, this post is meant for educational purposes only. She should see her ob/gyn as soon as possible (ask for a same-day emergency appointment) BEFORE DOING ANYTHING.

Best of luck...

I did not see J_B's post... has good info... and yes sperm viability is more like 24-72 hours (I mistyped 48) and can be longer, but very rarely. Sorry about any redundancy.

Bottom line, see the ob/gyn asap.

Ok so i found out some more info from her about the whole thing. She is a sunday starter and she started 3 days after her period. We did it on the 8th day after. She was on the pill for 5 days. I think/hope that would drop the chances some. Monday we are going to buy a pregnancy test. So ill find out then.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT!

My god, I couldnt have got it more wrong.

Despite all the posts/reports in teh paper about accidently getting pregnant, just think of all the couples who have trouble getting pregnant.Its not as easy as it sounds.

keep us posted.

Just to add a layer of complication... As others have said, the rhythm method is highly unreliable, and one possible reason it is possible for women to ovulate twice within a certain cycle, and that in fact about 10% of women do.

More info here:

http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1294767#1294767

Upshot is what's already been said -- get a pregnancy test to find out for sure about this time, and be more careful from now on.

Good luck!

Tell her to take a test. There is no other way of knowing.

Can't add anymore advice that hasn't already been given, but I wish you both the very best and hope things go your way.

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