Birth Control Pills Effectiveness

According to common claims, if taken regularly, “the pill” is effective in 98% to 99.9% cases. The actual effectiveness level is 87% to 95%. The pill, however, doesn’t safeguard against sexually transmitted infections and diseases (STD's) such as AIDS.

Birth control pills must be taken at the same time daily to be successful. A gap of as little as 12 hours reduces the potency of the dose. A skipped dose in the first or third week is the riskiest regarding accidental pregnancy. In most cases of a lapse, additional contraceptive measures such as abstinence have to be taken for one week immediately. Emergency pills are useful only if taken within one to two days of a lapse and they remain effective for a couple of days.

Since birth control pills contain hormones, no single drug or combination is universally suitable for all. You can be allergic to one type of hormone (usually, Estrogen or Oestrogen), which can be the best fit for another person. Apart from reactions, a particular hormone therapy may be rendered unsuitable in a case where the patient is taking some other medications such as strong antibiotics. Here, it should be noted that the certain type of hormones are less effective as compared to other.

The most effective hormone, Estrogen, is ironically linked to the most severe side effects of oral contraceptives such as cancer, thrombosis, etc. For instance, the low dose single hormone progesterone pill (popularly known as the mini-pill) is recommended for people who cannot take Estrogen singly or in combination. The single-pill hormone is considered less effective (95% or less) than the standard combination drugs. A single lapse on this pill can increase the possibility of pregnancy more than any other pill. In addition, for the initial cycle (against the first one week with other pills), this pill is not effective individually and it is always advisable to resort to back up measures.

After ceasing the use of the pills, you can conceive normally in 3 months time, to a period that may extend to as long one year. In any case, before embarking upon hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in the form of birth control pills, always seek medical help to assess their suitability and efficacy in your case.

Learn more about our Phoenix AZ Birth Control Clinical Trial