Not to mention, if a woman is taking birth control pills at the same time she’s taking antibiotics, the chances of pregnancy increase. Antibiotics can apparently counteract the Pill. My daughter is living proof.
Angel, there used to be a place right at Route 31 and I think either Chicago Street or Highland. I think it’s the Crisis Pregnancy Center, and I believe it’s somehow associated with Planned Parenthood. I don’t know if it’s still there, but I’ll drive over thataway on Friday and see and I’ll get back to you (it’s about ten minutes from my house and I’m always down in that area for one thing or another.)
Well, there’s no arguing with those numbers, but practically, it’s a monthly experiment repeated all over again. You have a .5% chance of getting pregnant every month. If the pill works, and you’ve had your next period, the chance for the next cycle is .5% again, ceteris paribus.
Your numbers are correct, but they make the reliability of the pill look worse than it is. It’s a series of “experiments”, not a ten year long one.
Uh, Coldie, your assessment is far more pessimistic than mine. If you have a half percent chance of an outcome every month, over a year, that’s a 5.9 percent chance. Your method gives the pill no more than a fifty fifty reliability over ten years.
My information comes from statistical reports of the results of use, not the monthly fertilization probability. Those reports (quoted in both Science Magazine, and JAMA, although I have no link.) give an annual incidence of pregnancy among women using the pill as a sole method of birth control to be 0.5 percent. Solving backwards for the twelfth root of .995, gives us a monthly rate is .0048 percent for any single month.
Tris
“As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality.” ~ Albert Einstein
Well, at the very least she should be insist that Herr Scumbag use a condom: the pill should be a secondary form of birth control in my opinion unless you’re in a long term relationship with someone (but I agree it shouldn’t be this hard to get).
Y’all know how I feel about STD’s–probably no need for me to go on another rant about them.
And best of luck on your quest!
Tris, I’m not disputing your numbers at all, but they’re retrospective. If I had to explain to a girl what the chances of getting pregnant when using the pill were, I’d tell her she’d have a .5% probability per month of getting pregnant, provided she took it at the right intervals, and there were no other intervening factors. And provided she got laid at least once a month, too.
Funny little pill tale, never ate the things myself, but I believe this should be a warning to everyone who does!
Mates been on the pill for like… ever… never a problem.
Mate gets a bad pint, sick as a dog, PUKES THE PILL!!
Obviously doesn’t notice. Up the pole, doctor laughs.
Well, he didn’t laugh… that would be mean, but he did say that is a really common way to get preggers despite taking the pill.
Other mate remained pregnant despite correct usage of morning after pill. Her boyf is now called The Sperminator by her younger brothers…
Oh, crap! I read “abortion” and my brain said “birth-control”. As in, “if men got pregnant, birth control would be a god-given right”. (an attempt at cutsey self-defamation) Then I re-read after I posted. Sorry if I’ve offended anyone.
But you would be wrong. The half percent chance is a statistical result, for a year long period. If you want to tell your girlfriend the chance for a month, it’s forty six ten thousandths of a percent. The cumulative chance for twelve of those months is half a percent.
Projecting the risk into the future, as opposed to examining the history of users over time is not an entirely mathematical exercise, of course, but in so far as it is, it follows the same proportions as the past.
I think we pretty much agree, Tris - it’s just that I still see it as a series of events because of the biological cycle. But I’ll amend my advice to “forty six ten thousandths of a percent” per month.
Really? I’ve never seen it…and whereabouts are you from?..thats about 10 minutes from my house, too…if you get this before you go, you don’t have to go. I can get there now; I have a car (as of Wednesday).
Thanks, though. That’s incredibly nice and great of you :).
I’m right up the street - west side of Elgin, near Big Timber and Rt. 31. If it’s still there, it’s on the east side of Rt. 31… I want to say it’s across from the currency exchange, but I might be wrong. It’s somewhere between Kimball and Walnut, though. That’s about as far as I can narrow it down right this sec. And I am really glad you said I don’t have to go look because I forgot to, and I swear I was JUST there. Honestly, my brain is like a sieve these days.
Probably a good thing that I don’t take the Pill, huh? I’d be preggers within a week.
