# A pill a day keeps the baby away! EVERY day, dammit! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 23, 2002, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330 "2002-07-23T03:09:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2002, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330/41 "2002-07-23T19:04:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Devil’s Grandmother \* > \*\* > > No disrespect intended, VW\_Woman, but your theory doesn’t work when your date is holding you down on the couch. Or for married women whose husbands believe “I do” means “I will” at any moment for the rest of their lives. Sex happens, sometimes when you don’t want it to. \*\* This sounds more like rape than sex to me. I don’t want to have to be on birth control because someone might rape me. ---
**Author:** ![ouisey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9fc29f/32.png) [@ouisey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouisey)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2002, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330/42 "2002-07-23T19:40:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ENugent \* > \*\ ***ouisey** , who told you that you are “required” to have an abortion if you get pregnant with an IUD? There are quite a few babies that successfully make it to term with the IUD still in place. If you catch it early, you can also frequently pull the IUD without harming the fetus. > > The IUD is even more reliable than the pill, and less work, so it’s a good choice for a lot of women. It’s got a bad rap in the US, but it’s really a pretty effective little gadget. \*\* Actually, it was my dr who told me that one of the problems with the IUD was that if I did manage to get pregnant, the foetus would likely be wrapped around and through or whatever the IUD, and would die and require a d&c to get it out. The IUD works for me. My periods sucked for a bit, but they’re getting better. I like the fact that there are no hormones involved. At least in my case. Some IUDs do have hormones that are released into the body. ---
**Author:** ![cercaria](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/87869e/32.png) [@cercaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cercaria)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2002, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330/43 "2002-07-23T20:39:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by WV\_Woman \* > **The only way to keep the stork away is to not do it to begin with.** > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Annie \* > \*\*Well, that does have a 100% success rate at pregnancy prevention but I see one leeeetle flaw in the plan. \*\* Although according to some people there was supposedly one time in the Middle East about two thousand years ago so maybe we ought to say it has a 99.999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999% success rate. 😃 ::d&r:: ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2002, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330/44 "2002-07-23T20:52:03Z")
I’ve taken my pills in the wrong order. For about 5 days. Well, the pharmacist offered to brandswitch to a generic brand that was exactly the same as the stuff I’d been using, but heaps cheaper. I took him up on it, took them home and started taking them like normal. I did not look closely at the blister pack (ie, I didn’t read any of the words on it), so I didn’t notice that these pills went anti-clockwise around the pack instead of clockwise. Duh. Not one of my finest moments, but there you have it. I also constantly forget to take the pill. I am not an expectant mother. I may be forgetful, but I am not stupid. I’m well aware that I should be taking all the pills, I just don’t always remember to do that, so I compensate and don’t rely on BCP as my sole method of contraception. ---
**Author:** ![jujuju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@jujuju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jujuju)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2002, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330/45 "2002-07-23T21:32:05Z")
a few things: 1. another thing that reduces effectiveness of the pill not yet mentioned is other medications, expecially antibiotics. no doc ever told me that, but i did learn it. 2. besides abstinance, you could have tubal litigation (as i plan to around the middle of september, once this rather large little girl joins the outside world), or a complete hysterectomy. both , do beleive , are 100% effective, even if raped. 3. same sex sex. having sex with someone of similar genetalia will not get you pregnant. ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2002, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330/46 "2002-07-23T21:40:04Z")
I would be one of those people who always forgot the pill. Something as important as preventing pregnancy was NOT something I wanted to trust to my memory (my mind is like a sieve, as I always say!). Therefore, I am on Depo. I only need to remember every 3 months. I know I forget, so I made a choice that was more responsible for me. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2002, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330/47 "2002-07-23T23:51:05Z")
I would not forget. I first took them when I was 16, cause of horrid cramps. They worked. Then, I felt funny and stopped taking them after a week. No one had told me my period would come back again. Not fun. I’ve been takin desogen for 2 months now, and it works wonderfully! I remember by taking them when I wake up. I usually wake at the same time, so its easy to remember.And they are the only pills I can swallow (cause they are so small ---
**Author:** ![Lucretia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330/48 "2002-07-24T00:10:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jwhee \* > \*\*1. besides abstinance, you could have tubal litigation (as i plan to around the middle of september, once this rather large little girl joins the outside world), or a complete hysterectomy. both , do beleive , are 100% effective, even if raped. > > \*\* Actually, no. With tubal ligation, 4 out of 1000 women will become pregnant within the 1st years (mostly tubal ectopic pregnancies, but rarely uterine), with the rate increasing slightly in succeding years. With a partial hysterectomy, there is a very, very small chance of a tubal ectopic pregnancy (only 36 reported cases in the worlds literature), and with complete hysterectomy, a vanishingly small, but still existant chance of an abdominal ectopic pregnancy. ---
**Author:** ![furr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7ab992/32.png) [@furr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furr)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330/49 "2002-07-24T00:17:07Z")
almost all of the years i took the pill where to do with cramp control, not birth control, so yes i forgot now and then. once i started having sex, i added a condom to the mix, when my partner came along and we went san condom i made a point of always remembering to take my pill. that said i was paranoid every month about getting preggers. even though i knew id taken it, i was always paranoid i hadnt. now a few snips of a knife and a vasectomy later and im paranoid and pill free. ---
**Author:** ![Heloise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e36b37/32.png) [@Heloise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heloise)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330/50 "2002-07-24T00:40:24Z")
Forgive the hijack. Reading the OP and the posts after have started me wondering about something once debated in high school, when you think you know everything and then are horrified in later years to find out how stupid and/or naive you really were. Is it true that if you conceive right before your period, like say 2 days, you can still have your period and be pregnant? I was always curious about whether or not this was true, but never really researched it to find out. Anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![cercaria](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/87869e/32.png) [@cercaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cercaria)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330/51 "2002-07-24T00:48:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Heloise \* > **Is it true that if you conceive right before your period, like say 2 days, you can still have your period and be pregnant? I was always curious about whether or not this was true, but never really researched it to find out.** From [http://www.plannedparenthood.org/library/FAQ’s.html#PERIOD:](http://www.plannedparenthood.org/library/FAQ's.html#PERIOD:) > [@](#): > > **Can I have my period and still be pregnant?** > No, it is not possible to have a period and be pregnant, but it is possible to be pregnant and have vaginal bleeding that may seem to be a period — but this is rare. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330/52 "2002-07-24T00:54:26Z")
In seven months, I’ve been a few hours late on a handful of occasions, and overnight twice (once because I was sick and a friend rescued me so I could sleep at her house, and I forgot to take the pills with me; the other time, I have no excuse, but I took it the next morning) but otherwise I haven’t had any problems. I’m very careful to remember to take them; babies are great, but my SO and I do not want to deal with one right now! It’s pretty simple; he supplies the condoms, while I take care of my pills. The condoms are backup. The only thing to worry about with us would be my getting pregnant. And nothing is foolproof. I have a friend who is seven and a half months pregnant, and she was on Depo. We figure that SOMEBODY had to be that one in a thousand (or whatever the number is) and while it was a hell of a shock for her at first, she’s getting really excited about it. If you can’t remember to take the pills, there are other options out there. I can be pretty flaky, but not when it comes to those. Oh no. ---
**Author:** ![WV\_Woman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@WV\_Woman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WV_Woman)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330/53 "2002-07-24T01:29:44Z")
Oh, that’s right, I forgot. If you support abortion, you’re not pro (meaning “in favor of” abortion). You simply support the “choice” to abort. If you oppose abortion, you’re not pro-life (meaning “in favor of” life). You’re anti choice. Tellya what. Call me pro-life, and I’ll play along and call you pro-choice, deal? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WV\_Woman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@WV\_Woman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WV_Woman)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330/54 "2002-07-24T01:34:36Z")
**"I got an IUD because it, in itself is my “backup”. If you get pregnant with an IUD, you’re pretty much required to have an abortion. Apparently, the IUD kills the kid anyway."** _reels from the non-chalance_ Why not just tie your tubes? ---
**Author:** ![ouisey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9fc29f/32.png) [@ouisey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouisey)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330/55 "2002-07-24T02:48:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by WV\_Woman \* > \*\ ***"I got an IUD because it, in itself is my “backup”. If you get pregnant with an IUD, you’re pretty much required to have an abortion. Apparently, the IUD kills the kid anyway."** > > _reels from the non-chalance_ > > Why not just tie your tubes? \*\* God that does sound bad doesn’t it. If I thought there was even a remote chance of me getting pregnant with the IUD, I wouldn’t use that form of birth control. To tell the truth, I have no idea where I stand on the issue of abortion…I sway back and forth all the time. Could I actually go through with an abortion? I don’t think I could. It would be VERY DIRE circumstances that would lead me to even consider it. Like if it were certain that I would die, or that the child would die a horrible death immediately following birth or something. I can say that I feel that abortion is an act of violence, but that sometimes the birth of a child is a greater act of violence. Exactly what defines the “act of violence” should be at the mother’s discretion. That’s why I support a pro-choice agenda. So when I say “kill the kid”, its not non-chalance so much as a wry confession…if I had an abortion, I would feel that I was guilty of murder. Of my child, no less. It doesn’t mean that I think that women who have the procedure done are murderers…I have no idea. I’m only responsible for my actions. And god knows what anyone of us would do, if we walked in their shoes for a day. I don’t think any woman takes the decision lightly. I’m all freaked out about the subject now, because there’s this really friendly stray cat who’s been hanging around the neighborhood, and she’s now very heavily into her second pregnancy of the year and the humane society wants me to bring her in to be spayed. Right now. Before the kittens are born, which would mean aborting all the kittens. The fact that this shocked the hell out of me…and its a friggin’ cat…! BTW, getting my tubes tied would require surgery…also I would perhaps like to have more children one day. Also, tying tubes is not necessarily 100% fail-safe. ---
**Author:** ![WV\_Woman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@WV\_Woman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WV_Woman)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330/56 "2002-07-24T03:47:54Z")
In my experience, almost no vet will perform an abortion on an animal. ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330/57 "2002-07-24T03:57:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by WV\_Woman \* > \*\*In my experience, almost no vet will perform an abortion on an animal. \*\* Vets who work w/shelters typically do - it’s certainly preferable to euthanizing all the kittens and the mom-cat at a later date. It’s not an abortion per se - it’s an abortion that’s a side effect of spaying the cat. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330/58 "2002-07-24T04:08:20Z")
Ditto on the vet thing, I think most vets will spay a pregnant cat except perhaps if she is very close to delivering. About the IUD thing, someone said their doctor wouldn’t do it because they are too young - I had my first IUD when I was 17. I used some form of IUD for about 6 years, but swiched to the pill because the IUD was causing bad cramps and heavy bleeding. An IUD doesn’t prevent fertilization as I understand it, but it will prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus wall. The fertilized egg just is part of the normal menstrual flow then, and flows out without developing at all. ---
**Author:** ![Essured](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Essured](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Essured)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330/59 "2002-07-24T04:47:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ouisey \* > \*\*BTW, getting my tubes tied would require surgery…also I would perhaps like to have more children one day. Also, tying tubes is not necessarily 100% fail-safe. \*\* While sterilisation isn’t 100% and should definitely not be an option for anyone who isn’t 200% sure they don’t want any/more children, I just wanted to point out that it isn’t as invasive for women as it has been in the past. There is a new method that requires no incision. (I’m not sure if that technically means it’s not surgery or not) For those who are interested, there are trials beginning soon in the US, though it is already available in Australia. It is a metallic coil inserted vaginally into the tubes, where the fallopian tube skin scars and grows over it, sealing the tubes shut. It apparently is an improvement on the old methods in every aspect. For more info : [http://www.conceptus.com/us/essure.html](http://www.conceptus.com/us/essure.html) ---
**Author:** ![WV\_Woman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@WV\_Woman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WV_Woman)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330/60 "2002-07-24T05:37:18Z")
That sounds pretty nifty, Goo. Too bad they can’t form something like that that could be a temporary form of birth control. I would kill for a Pill whose only function is to stop ovulation, and nothing else. Here’s a question: why is it you never hear about new stuff for men? All they have is condoms. Wouldn’t it be great if there was such a thing as a temporary vasectomy? Or a pill they could take? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pill-a-day-keeps-the-baby-away-every-day-dammit/120330.md?page=4)