[mallowbakes]

Hi guys,

I'm a 20 year old female on the combined pill and have been taking it every day, just not on the EXACT same time each day ie. 11am, 12pm, 3pm etc.

My boyfriend and I had sex and he 'came' inside me for the first time. We had no condom and only relied on me taking the pill.

What are the chances of getting pregnant in this situation? My period is due next Tuesday and I've noticed my breasts have been a bit sore (might just be PMS?).

I'm curious about your experiences with this. Please let me know that you DID NOT get pregnant by not taking the pill at the EXACT same time each day without the 'pull-out' method.

Thanks in advance.

[Little]

I did not get pregnant for months upon months upon months upon ... well, you get the idea ... taking the pill imprecisely but within a certain window and having otherwise unprotected sex.

[mallowbakes]

Hi Little, thanks for the reply but I didn't quite get your response...

So you're saying you were protected from pregnancy for months and months whilst taking the pill at an imprecise time of day? Or am I unprotected?

[Little]

You're protected. Usually there is a window of time in which you can take the pill and have it still be effective. Reference the literature that came with your pill, as it may be different per brand.

The worst time to take the pill late is the first day after your placebo break - since you've already had 7 days off, or however many days off your pill gives you, you are most likely to be affected by being late an hour or two here. Other days, not so much, because you just put hormones in your system 24, 26, maybe 30 hours ago.

EDIT: I, in fact, never got pregnant until I stopped taking the pill completely and moved on to my next cycle, no matter how halfheartedly I was taking the pill or how many days I skipped in the last month I was taking it while having rampant unprotected sex. But don't be like me, because I was deciding to TTC while I was taking the pill like a stupid person.

[mallowbakes]

I've read somewhere that when you have sex during the placebo period you don't have to worry about getting pregnant at all... So why be worried on the first day back on active pills?

Little if you don't mind me asking, how old are you?

[Little]

I'm 24.

You indeed don't need to be worried about sex during the placebo period because they're built into the pill and the way it works. A FNP (who prescribed me the pills) told me about missing on the first day of the next pack - since your body has been without hormone for so long, the extra time can really make a difference between your body deciding whether or not to ovulate. You should really look into how the pill and your body work together to prevent pregnancy. Learning whether or not you can trust your pill will make a big difference in your stress level going forward.