Believe it or not, getting pregnant while you’re “on the pill” is not a completely uncommon occurrence. Although birth control pills are touted to be 99.7% effective, that’s only with “perfect use.” And who among us is “perfect”?!
If You Do Get Pregnant While You’re on the Pill, Don’t Panic. Here are the Next Steps.
1. Stop taking your birth control pill.
2. Breathe.
3. Find an OB/GYN and call them.
Insider Info: Neither birth control pills nor the Depo-Provera shot have been shown to increase the risk of birth defects in fetuses. They do, however, increase the risk of preterm labor and having a baby with a low birth weight, but these risks are tiny.
Can a Woman Get Pregnant If She Has an IUD (an Intrauterine Device), Such as Mirena?
The chances that a woman will get pregnant while she has an IUD, are almost nil (0.2-0.8%).1 If this happens there are a few additional risks to the pregnancy. These include: an ectopic pregnancy (a non-viable pregnancy outside the uterus), an infection, premature delivery, and a miscarriage.
In this case, the doctor may want to remove the IUD, although doing so increases the risk of miscarriage, as well. If you get pregnant while you have an IUD in place, call your doctor so the two of you can come up with a solid plan together.
The Bottom Line
Getting pregnant while on birth control can happen. If this happens to you, reach out to an OB/GYN as soon as possible.
