Birth control pills are one of the safest methods of preventing unwanted pregnancy. It is a hormonal medication that acts similarly to the substances produced by the ovary. Depending on when they start to be taken in the female cycle, it is essential to know when to start having unprotected sex. But you should know that preventing pregnancy is not accompanied by avoiding the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
If you want to know more information about how birth control pills work and what their effect is, or you wonder,” when can I have unprotected intercourse taking birth control pills? “, Then keep reading this article about FastlyHeal.
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Effects of birth control pills
Oral contraceptives or birth control pills mimic the hormones made in the ovaries: estrogens and progesterone, or just progesterone, depending on the brand and when the woman lives. For example, it is not the same pill that a breastfeeding woman often uses as one who is not.
The effects of birth control pills are aimed at preventing unwanted pregnancies, and it does so in different ways:
- It prevents ovulation.
- Modifies the characteristics of the uterus.
- It alters the cervical mucus (which typically facilitates the ascent of sperm).
How to take birth control pills
Hormonal contraceptives must be taken every day to be truly effective. Those of progesterone should be taken simultaneously each day (a delay of more than 2 hours already means that it does not protect against a possible pregnancy), and the combined ones (estrogens and progesterone) need more or less the same time, but not every day.
The latter usually come in two different colors:
- Active tablets (with hormones) are taken between 21 to 24 days, depending on the brand.
- The inactive or placebo tablets are taken the remaining days (up to day 28).
When there is no day without pills, you should start a new box.
When can I have unprotected sex by taking birth control pills?
Being a hormonal medication similar to what occurs in the female body, if contraceptives are started on the first day of menstruation, it is assumed that the effects begin to run from the first moment. Thus, ovulation will not occur (which usually happens around day 14 of the menstrual cycle). That is, you could already have intercourse without taking care of yourself.
But since contraceptives can be started at any time during the menstrual cycle, if the pills were started five days or more after the first day of menstruation, it is to be expected that the effects will not be the same. Therefore, you must wait at least seven days to have unprotected sex if you want to avoid pregnancy.
Medications that affect birth control pills
On the other hand, it should be taken into account that certain medications affect birth control pills and decrease their effect. For example, antibiotics and birth control are not a good combination.
In this case, other methods of protection (for example, condoms) should be used while you take them and for a time after you finish them.
Here are some drugs that can lessen the effects:
- Some antibiotics
- Dexamethasone.
- Phenobarbital.
- Topiramate.
- Phenytoin
- Some retroviral.
- Barbiturates.
- Antacids
- Primidone.
- Heat.
If taking antibiotics and contraceptives, use a condom while taking them and for seven days afterward. It is advisable that if any of these drugs are used, the doctor who indicated them should be consulted when adding another medication.
What to keep in mind when having unprotected sex
You must know that birth control pills do not protect against sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV, gonorrhea, herpes, or syphilis, among others. Taking them properly allows you to avoid unwanted pregnancy, but it will not prevent you from contracting these severe diseases.
Therefore, before having unprotected sex, you must talk with your partner and perform the different tests that help rule out these diseases, for which they can turn to a trusted doctor who can guide them.
You should also know that, like everything in medicine, nothing is 2 + 2 = 4. Things sometimes don’t go as expected. Although the hormonal method of contraception has the highest effectiveness in preventing pregnancy, it is not 100%, therefore from time to time, this method may fail, especially if you forget to take the pill correctly.
See our article Is the birth control pill safe? to learn more about it. If you have doubts, consult your trusted doctor.
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 When can I have unprotected sex taking birth control pills? 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.