Today, one of the most widely used contraceptive methods is the famous contraceptive pills, but they are also misinformed. Women limit themselves to taking it without knowing all the necessary information regarding how they work: it may have been indicated to you to avoid pregnancy, as well as to regulate your menstruation and even to calm painful periods.
But really, how do birth control pills work? Can I have sex on the bye week? Is having sex always safe on the contraceptive pill? It is expected that you have any doubts in your head regarding this, especially when avoiding pregnancy, and you begin to search for information desperately. The truth is that taking birth control pills is quite effective if you take it the right way, but like everything, it has advantages and disadvantages.
If you want to know more, we invite you to continue reading this FastlyHealarticle where we will clarify your doubt ” Can I have sex during the week off? “
Table of Contents
How do birth control pills work?
You are probably taking birth control pills to prevent pregnancy, but you don’t know what they do and how they work. These pills are nothing more than a class of drugs with a hormonal load, low cost, and effective in preventing pregnancy.
The way they work is straightforward: they prevent ovulation. At unprotected intercourse, the sperm will not reach any egg that can fertilize, and thus pregnancy will not occur. In turn, this hormonal load that the pills have modifies the cervical mucus, making it thicker, thus blocking the entry of sperm.
There are different contraceptive pills on the market:
- Those that contain estrogen in a synthetic form.
- Those that have progesterone (progestin) are also in synthetic form.
- The combined ones (which contain progestin and estrogen).
Contraceptive pills are in boxes of 21 or 28 pills:
- The 21-pill box is taken once every day, at approximately the same time, for 21 consecutive days. After that, the 7-day break is usually waited to start a new kit.
- The 28-pill box, on the other hand, should be taken continuously at the same time every day and without pausing between one package and the new one.
The pills are safe to avoid pregnancy if you take them every day that corresponds, and at the same time, in this way, there will be effectiveness of approximately 99%.
Can you have sex on the bye week?
When having sex while taking birth control pills, the question that arises in most women is: can I have sex on the week off? The answer is yes, it is safe to have intercourse in the bye week, as long as you have taken the corresponding contraceptive pills for the previous 21 days, every day, at approximately the same time, for it to be effective.
Likewise, you should know that menstruation will appear in the rest week, so the chances of pregnancy are lower, and the fertile window will be reduced due to the imminent bleeding that is to come.
The contraceptive pill is approximately 99% effective; the better you take medicine, the more effective. The 1% chance of getting pregnant arises from several factors such as:
- I am not taking medicine every day.
- Have bouts of diarrhea for more than two days.
- Present vomiting for more than 48 hours.
- Use of antibiotics and antifungal medications.
- Being under retroviral and anticonvulsant treatments.
If I forget a birth control pill, can I get pregnant?
The intake of the first contraceptive pill should start on the first day of the menstrual cycle. In this way, the contraceptive effect will be almost immediate. This way, you will know when the birth control pills take effect.
If you start taking birth control pills any day, especially far from the menstrual cycle, you should know that the effect will not be the same. So if you want to avoid pregnancy, you must use another method such as a condom, at least during the first week after taking the oral contraceptive.
What happens if I forget to take the birth control pill?
In case you forget a dose, logically, the effectiveness of the pills will decrease. This will be directly proportional to the number of missed pills and the cycle phase you forgot to take them.
If it has been one day (24 hours) since you forgot to take one pill, you should take it immediately. This means that that day, instead of taking one medicine, you should take two corresponding to the previous day and the current day, and the rest of the month continues as usual.
If you have forgotten to take two or more pills, you should immediately take the last pill you forgot and the one corresponding to that day, but discard the others that you have forgotten. Continue to rest as usual, but in this particular case, you must use another contraceptive method for the next seven days because the contraceptive effectiveness will have decreased.
Advantages and disadvantages of birth control pills
Now that you know the answer to the question, “can I have sex on the bye week?” If you take birth control pills, as well as other doubts if you forget to take the pills, we recommend knowing the advantages and disadvantages of birth control pills:
Advantage
- The pills are effective in preventing pregnancy if taken correctly.
- They are safe concerning the common complications that exist while you take them.
- Its effect is reversible, and you can regain fertility when you stop taking them.
- They can be used from adolescence.
- They regulate menstruation concerning pain, duration, and volume.
Disadvantages
- It does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
- It requires taking it daily, so forgetting a pill represents a decrease in its contraceptive effectiveness.
- Side effects such as headache, breast pain, nausea, and breakthrough bleeding can occur primarily during the first months of adaptability to taking contraceptives.
Your gynecologist must do check-ups two times a year, especially before starting to take contraceptive pills, to rule out that there is a pregnancy and that there are other conditions that require medical evaluation.
You may also be interested in When you can have unprotected intercourse taking birth control pills?
This article is merely informative. At FastlyHeal .com, we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Can I have sex on the bye week? We recommend that you enter our Sexuality category.

I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.