The mini-pill

The simple answer is: yes, hormones in birth control are getting into the environment through pee. But—and this is a big but—it is small compared to other sources of estrogen. Current research finds that the contribution of EE2 (the primary active ingredient in the pill, ring, and patch) to the total amount of estrogen in our waterways is small. Bigger—much bigger—sources of estrogen in the environment come from industrial and manufacturing processes, agricultural fertilizers and pesticides, the drugs we give livestock. and the waste and runoff produced by these sources. Avoiding birth control with estrogen hormones will not eliminate the environmental impacts of estrogenic compounds.

Having “loose” poop every now and then probably won’t affect how well your pill works, but severe diarrhea (e.g. if you have it several times for more than 48 hours) might because the hormones in the pill are absorbed through your intestines over time. So, if you rely on the pill for pregnancy prevention and you have severe diarrhea that lasts more than 48 hours, it’s a good idea to use a backup method like condoms if you have sex while you’re sick and for the 7 days after you recover.

In general, no. The only type of antibiotic that’s been shown to lessen the effectiveness of the birth control pill are rifamycins—including rifampin, rifapentine, rifalazil and rifaximin. Rifampin can be used to treat tuberculosis but is no longer the first choice for treatment and is not typically prescribed in the US.

If you throw up within two hours of taking your pill, treat it as a missed pill and take the next pill in your pack right away. Depending on which type of pill you use and where you are in your pill pack, you may need to use a back-up method like condoms for the next seven days to prevent pregnancy.

If you’re just not vibing with your choice of birth control, it might be time to switch things up! Before you do, ask yourself some questions to make sure you know what’s not working and what you might want in a new method. Thinking about why you want to switch methods and what your needs are going forward will help you figure out next steps that work for you.

If you’d like to stop your birth control and try to get pregnant, you can get pregnant pretty quickly after stopping most methods.

“It depends on what type of pill you’re on and how far into the pill pack you are. If you’re on the combination pill, and it’s been 48 hours or less since your last pill, just take it as soon as you remember. Take the pill you missed even if that means you’re taking two at the same time. If you take two pills at once, you might feel nauseous, so try taking them with food. Keep taking the rest of the pills in your pack as planned; you don’t need to do anything else to be protected from pregnancy.

If you are using a combination pill and it’s been more than 48 hours since your last pill, take one of the missed pills as soon as you remember, leaving the others in the pack. Then take today’s dose at the time you normally would (even if it means taking two at the same time) AND use a backup method of birth control, like condoms, every time you have sex for the next seven days. If you miss a pill by more than 48 hours in the last week of your pack, skip any hormone-free pills and start a new pack the day after you finish the current pack.

The first week of your pills is the most important to prevent ovulation. If you miss a pill by more than 48 hours in the first week, that’s a bigger deal than a missed pill in a later week. In addition to taking your missed pill ASAP, consider taking [EC] if you’ve had sex in the last 5 days and for the next 7 days use a back-up method of birth control every time you have sex.

If you’re on any brand of mini-pill (also called the progestin-only pill) besides Slynd, there are totally different rules. If you’re more than 3 hours late taking a pill during any week of your pill pack, you could get pregnant if you have sex without using another method of birth control, and you need to use a backup method for 48 hours. Considering taking EC if you’ve had sex in the last 5 days.”

Yes, it’s absolutely safe to take two birth control pills in one day, including taking two pills at once. That said, the most effective and best way to take your birth control pill is to take one every day (and if you’re taking the progestin-only pill (a.k.a. the mini-pill), it’s extra important to take it within the same three-hour window every day). Regularly taking more than one pill a day won’t make your birth control more effective.

However, if you miss a pill, take it as soon as you remember, even if that means it’s at the same time as your next regularly scheduled dose. You might feel nauseated if you have to do this, especially if you need to take two pills at once, so take your pills with food.

The hormonal IUDs, shot, implant, and progestin-only pill have all been shown to overall reduce periods for most people. For some people, that means they don’t get a period at all, but for others it can cause bleeding when you aren’t expecting it even if you have less total bleeding.

You can use the pill or the ring continuously to intentionally skip your period altogether.

If you have endometriosis (a condition where tissue grows outside of your uterus instead of inside it), hormonal birth control can do wonders to lessen your symptoms. There are a bunch of hormonal methods that can help regulate your periods, decrease bleeding, or even make your period go away completely.

Most methods will not cause weight gain. Most people gain weight over time (whether they are using birth control or not), so if you use birth control for a few years, weight gain may not be related to your birth control specifically. The exception to this is the shot. Some people who use the shot will gain some weight. However, the majority of people who use the shot don’t gain much.

Levonorgestrel is one of the longest-studied types of progestin which is the synthetic version of progesterone, a hormone made by the body. And all the scientific evidence to date shows it is super safe. It’s used in hormonal IUDs, some emergency contraception pills, and certain birth control pills.

A cyst is basically a bubble—a collection of fluid with a thin wall around it. Some types of cysts form when a follicle (the fluid-filled sac that develops around an egg during ovulation) grows larger than expected. Sometimes they can cause un-fun symptoms like abdominal discomfort, pelvic pain, pain during bowel movements, or pain during sex. Most cysts disappear on their own, but if they keep growing, they can cause severe pelvic pain or pain that causes dizziness or fainting and comes with a fever or vomiting. If you have any of these severe symptoms, go see a health care provider ASAP. Some hormonal birth control methods—the ones that work by blocking ovulation—may mean fewer ovarian cysts. If you tend to get cysts, your provider might recommend you try a method like the pill, patch, or ring.