Epitomee2000

My baby is a birth control pill baby. And they say that those things are 99.98% effective (liaaaaaaarrrrrrrrsss) Anyway, I am happy about it.

CaliforniaBride

But none of the spontaneity?

Andrew Defaria

Epitomee2000 wrote:

    > My baby is a birth control pill baby. And they say that those things
    > are 99.98% effective (liaaaaaaarrrrrrrrsss) Anyway, I am happy about it.

I've wondered about that too. My first question is: At what strength? As
you know there are different strengths. Second question is: Over what
time period? I've heard tell that over a woman's natural child-bearing
years the pill will be more like 50% effective.

CaliforniaBride

Interesting question. Maybe this will help answer it:

Preventing pregnancy. When taken correctly, oral contraceptives (OCs) offer highly effective contraception. All types of pills—combined estrogen-progestin (including multiphasics) and progestin-only—are effective. The newer, lower-dose combined pills containing less than 50 µg of estrogen appear to be as effective as older formulations containing 50 µg of estrogen or more. They prevent ovulation in nearly all cycles. The few studies that have compared lower-dose formulations and higher-dose formulations have found no significant difference in effectiveness between the two (39, 239, 301).

A World Health Organization (WHO) study that compared six combined OCs containing 20 to 50 µg of estrogen found no significant differences in effectiveness (533). Generally, among perfect users (women who miss no pills and follow instructions exactly), only 1 in every 1,000 women becomes pregnant in the first year of use (189). Among typical users, however, about 60 to 80 women in every 1,000 will become pregnant during the first year (189, 312).

Progestin-only pills are slightly less effective than combined pills, except for breastfeeding women, for whom they are at least as effective (see sidebar, Progestin-Only OCs for Breastfeeding Women). Still, among perfect users of progestin-only pills who are not breastfeeding, only 5 pregnancies per 1,000 women occur in the first year of use. Typical-use rates are not available (190, 297). While progestin-only pills do not prevent ovulation in about half of menstrual cycles, other effects of progestins provide contraceptive protection. In particular, progestins thicken cervical mucus, making it more difficult for sperm to pass through the cervical canal (146, 297, 498).

Some have speculated that multiphasics might be more likely to allow pregnancy if not used correctly, including taking them out of order (99, 134, 167, 239, 482, 512). Most clinical trials find no difference in effectiveness between multiphasics and constant-dose combined pills, however (124, 142, 371).

Some women forget pills or stop them for a time. This largely accounts for the gap in OC effectiveness between perfect users and typical users. Irregular pill-taking may explain why users of oral contraceptives sometimes experience higher pregnancy rates than users of injectables, IUDs, or implants. According to Demographic and Health Survey data in 15 developing countries in the 1980s, the pregnancy rate among OC users was about 6 per 100 per year—twice the pregnancy rate among IUD users, at 3 per 100 (312).

Long-term effectiveness of the pill requires sustained correct and consistent use. A recent review of 53 reports on contraceptive effectiveness concluded that on average about 7% of OC users are likely to become pregnant in the first three years of use, but the percentage varies depending on whether women take the pill correctly. Among the generally consistent and conscientious users, 3.8% would become pregnant within three years. In contrast, among those who use the pill inconsistently and incorrectly, 7.8% would become pregnant within three years (365).

Marjeta

The question should be, has the patient been taking the pills exactly as instructed. That is what makes the pills more than 99% effective. If a pill is a low dose pill that should not effect its performance if it is taken the way it's supposed to. I think saying the pill itself is only 50% effective over a longer time span is a little far fetched.
I have been on the pill for many years and have taken it regularly with discipline without missing pills, and it has been working for me so far. And I am sure for many other women as well.
As CaliforniaBride said, it is the incorrect and irregular use that usually results in unplanned pregnancies.

Rete

<grinning> Not completely true ;-) Although I admit to having been so very lucky that the last two men I have been in love with were "seedless". Term given by my husband who says he is like Sunkist oranges ... all juice and no seeds !!!!!!!!!

Rete

David Schwartz

"Rete" <member167@british_expats.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > The foreign
    > borne USC child has all the rights of a USC child borne on US Soil.
    > And
    > yes, you will have to prove who the daddy is ;-) Do you honestly think
    > they will just take your word for it.

How does one typically go about proving that?

Mtravelkay

David Schwartz wrote:

    > "Rete" <member167@british_expats.com> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    >
    >>The foreign
    >>borne USC child has all the rights of a USC child borne on US Soil.
    >>And
    >>yes, you will have to prove who the daddy is ;-) Do you honestly think
    >>they will just take your word for it.
    >
    >
    > How does one typically go about proving that?

It depends on who is asking. I would guess that an affidavit from the
father, in most cases, would be enough.

Leslie

Rene,

This has been bothering me for a week. How exactly would your parents using a diaphram disturb their hosts? Just curious.

Leslie