Ask Me Help Desk - Missed 3 pills in a row at the beginning of my birth control, can I be pregnant?

Hi, so this is my first time using this website and I'm kind of frustrated because I just spent forever trying to type my problem and it got deleted. So, I'll try to explain it the best I can. So, I have been spotting throughout the month of June. I would say about a couple weeks ago I began to have some heavy spotting and some light spotting. I had unprotected sex at the beginning of the month of June but I'm on the pill HOWEVER in the month of June I forgot to take an iresponsible number of my pills. I can't remember how many but I would have to guess around 7-9 throughout the month. Anyway, I was supposed to get my period last tuesday(June 26th, I believe) and it never came- BUT I was spotting about 2 weeks ago so I'm not to sure if it was spotting or a bit of my period. I usually get my period around the same day which is a Tuesday-but in June it never came on Tuesday.

NOW, the other day my partner and me had unprotected sex which was sunday(yesterday) AND yesterday I was supposed to start my first pill of a brand new month BUT I completley blanked and I have no new box of pills to start. SO, I can't go and re-fill my prescription until tomorrow(today's a holiday so my pharmacy is closed) or even wednsesday at the latest! So it'll be 3 pills in a row at the beginning of a new pack that I have missed and I had unprotected sex on the first day that I was supposed to start a pill (yesterday). I understand that of course there is a chance that I can get pregnant from not taking my pills correctly but I'm wondering if there is anyone out there who has had the same thing happen to them and ended up pregnant from it, and/or any other advice and opinions would he very helpful!!

p.s- I have been very light headed getting up and walking too fast, feeling a bit warm today (Monday July 2) BUT I do get lightheaded very easily so I'm not too sure if that's really a contributing factor or not.

AND I also took a pregnancy test about a few days ago because I missed all those pills in June but it came out negative so Im not too worried about the last time as I am more worried about what happened yesterday and me not being able to take any pills for a couple more days!

Even if you take your pills regularly, there is a chance of getting pregnant as birth control pills do not 100% guarantee you won't get pregnant. Most birth control pills are only 98-99% effective in preventing pregnancy.

Birth control pills are made up of hormones, either estrogen, progestin, or a combination of both. Most pills are a combination of both. The hormones in the pill work by keeping a woman’s ovaries from releasing eggs, thereby preventing ovulation. Pregnancy cannot happen if there is no egg to join with sperm. The hormones in the pill also prevent pregnancy by thickening a woman’s cervical mucus. The mucus blocks sperm and keeps it from joining with an egg. The hormones also thin the lining of the uterus. In theory, this could prevent pregnancy by keeping a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus. Personally, my pills are only estrogen as progestin would prevent me from lactating for my baby girl. In any case, birth control only makes it harder to get pregnant, but does not guarantee you will not get pregnant.

At the same time, a negative response on a pregnancy test does not guarantee you are not pregnant. If you are, your body may not have built up enough hCG (pregnancy hormone that is tested for in pregnancy tests) for the test to capture.

As for spotting, that does not guarantee you are not pregnant. Some women will still continue to spot throughout their pregnancy and others will bleed normally. It is not common, but it does happen.

You should also know that if your flow is not normal or is late, this does not mean you are pregnant. A change in diet, change in exercise routine, high stress, etc. can all cause a woman's period to alter from the norm.

Your best bet is to see your gynocologist as soon as possible and have him or her do a blood test to determine if you are pregnant. If you don't have a gynocologist, check out the local Planned Parenthood.

If you are pregnant, you do not want to continue to take the birth control pills as it can cause damage to the fetus.

If you are not pregnant, you may want to set an alarm on your phone (if you have a cell phone) to remind yourself to take your birth control everyday.

Yup, pregnancy is possible. It's possible any time you have sex, even if you use your birth control exactly as prescribed.

If you still have not had a period, wait one more week, make sure you test with the first urine of the morning,

The pill is not 100 percent and missing a couple really make it less effective

Quote:

Originally Posted by slntdrgn

Even if you take your pills regularly, there is a chance of getting pregnant as birth control pills do not 100% guarantee you won't get pregnant. Most birth control pills are only 98-99% effective in preventing pregnancy.

Birth control pills are made up of hormones, either estrogen, progestin, or a combination of both. Most pills are a combination of both. The hormones in the pill work by keeping a woman’s ovaries from releasing eggs, thereby preventing ovulation. Pregnancy cannot happen if there is no egg to join with sperm. The hormones in the pill also prevent pregnancy by thickening a woman’s cervical mucus. The mucus blocks sperm and keeps it from joining with an egg. The hormones also thin the lining of the uterus. In theory, this could prevent pregnancy by keeping a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus. Personally, my pills are only estrogen as progestin would prevent me from lactating for my baby girl. In any case, birth control only makes it harder to get pregnant, but does not guarantee you will not get pregnant.

At the same time, a negative response on a pregnancy test does not guarantee you are not pregnant. If you are, your body may not have built up enough hCG (pregnancy hormone that is tested for in pregnancy tests) for the test to capture.

As for spotting, that does not guarantee you are not pregnant. Some women will still continue to spot throughout their pregnancy and others will bleed normally. It is not common, but it does happen.

You should also know that if your flow is not normal or is late, this does not mean you are pregnant. A change in diet, change in exercise routine, high stress, etc. can all cause a woman's period to alter from the norm.

Your best bet is to see your gynocologist as soon as possible and have him or her do a blood test to determine if you are pregnant. If you don't have a gynocologist, check out the local Planned Parenthood.

If you are pregnant, you do not want to continue to take the birth control pills as it can cause damage to the fetus.

If you are not pregnant, you may want to set an alarm on your phone (if you have a cell phone) to remind yourself to take your birth control everyday.

Now, I got my blood tested a couple weeks ago, and everything came back normal- So, I have a feeling that the last time everything went fine and I did not get pregnant but because of the unprotected sex 2 days ago and now missing 3 pills in a row at the beginning of a new pack- I am a bit worried. But even if I were to get pregnant from it, wouldn't it be way to early for me to go and get my blood tested? Will I have to wait a whole month to see if I miss a period or not ? Because the thought of waiting that long and continuing to take my pills not knowing if I'm pregnant or not is worrying me. And I've never actually had a strong feeling of being pregnant before from an irregular cycle or anything which makes me all the more worried. I know it might not weird but I feel like I am- like I just have this strong feeling that I am pregnant- and I don't know if its just my mind thinking this because I am aware of what's been going on or if it's a real feeling. Please let me know what you think !

Quote:

Originally Posted by KitKat123

Now, I got my blood tested a couple weeks ago, and everything came back normal- So, I have a feeling that the last time everything went fine and I did not get pregnant but because of the unprotected sex 2 days ago and now missing 3 pills in a row at the beggining of a new pack- I am a bit worried. But even if I were to get pregnant from it, wouldnt it be way to early for me to go and get my blood tested? Will I have to wait a whole month to see if I miss a period or not ? Because the thought of waiting that long and continuing to take my pills not knowing if I'm pregnant or not is worrying me. And Iv never actually had a strong feeling of being pregnant before from an irregular cycle or anything which makes me all the more worried. I know it might not weird but I feel like I am- like I just have this strong feeling that I am pregnant- and I dont know if its just my mind thinking this because I am aware of whats been going on or if its a real feeling. Please let me know what you think !

ALSO, do u know if I should start a new pack, or stop taking the pills since I might be pregnant? I think I will call my doctors
Office tomorrow and ask them what to do to!

I believe you are right in not waiting another month. It is best you call the doctor and speak to him/her about what is going on. S/he will tell you how soon you can take a test and advise you on the birth control pills. Typically, you can tell as soon as two weeks after getting pregnant, but your doctor will advise you on when to come in. I would wait to take anymore pills until you speak to the doctor though. You should probably also tell your partner you can't do anything for a while or at the very least, use condoms.

I don't want to worry you more, but I will tell you that strong feeling could be something. With all 3 of my kids, I did get that strong feeling that I was pregnant. It could also be an overactive imagination from worry, fear, and stress. Again, just call your doctor. The tests in a doctor's office are much more accurate than any home pregnancy test.

Even if you aren't pregnant, it takes at least two weeks to a month for the drugs in birth control to build up in your system to work effectively. If you are not pregnant, make sure to set that alarm and take your pills regularly. For the next month, you and your partner should probably use condoms.

Quote:

Originally Posted by slntdrgn

I believe you are right in not waiting another month. It is best you call the doctor and speak to him/her about what is going on. S/he will tell you how soon you can take a test and advise you on the birth control pills. Typically, you can tell as soon as two weeks after getting pregnant, but your doctor will advise you on when to come in. I would wait to take anymore pills until you speak to the doctor though. You should probably also tell your partner you can't do anything for a while or at the very least, use condoms.

I don't want to worry you more, but I will tell you that strong feeling could be something. With all 3 of my kids, I did get that strong feeling that I was pregnant. It could also be an overactive imagination from worry, fear, and stress. Again, just call your doctor. The tests in a doctor's office are much more accurate than any home pregnancy test.

Even if you aren't pregnant, it takes at least two weeks to a month for the drugs in birth control to build up in your system to work effectively. If you are not pregnant, make sure to set that alarm and take your pills regularly. For the next month, you and your partner should probably use condoms.

Thank you for your advice, I am going to try to get in to see my Doctor today. When I woke up this morning I had period like cramps but absolutely no spotting to go with it. USUALLY when I have these symptoms and cramps it means my periods coming but there's no spotting at all so far... so I guess Ill have to just wait and see.