Hi,
Please read the information booklet that was provided with the Next Step; it concerns me that you are taking medication from your boyfriend that you are not aware of. Please take more control of your own health, as EVERY time you have unprotected sex, regardless of the timing in your cycle, you are INCREASING YOUR RISK for pregnancy.
I am sorry if I sound blunt, but I am really concerned when I read that you are having frequent, unprotected sex and do not want to be pregnant, and are allowing your boyfriend to take the reigns and take control of your health (except for using condoms). Good for him for being educated on emergency contraception!!! I'm really glad you are asking us these questions, but please take care of yourself. :)
What you are experiencing now is called "breakthrough bleeding". It is a common side effect of taking emergency contraception.
You will not know if you are pregnant or not until your next expected menstrual period begins. The unfortunate thing about taking EC is that it also has the side effect of causing irregular periods for a cycle or two. If your period does not begin when you expect it to, you can take a home pregnancy test (it will not be effective any earlier). It is really hard to wait until your period begins, especially if it is late due to taking the emergency contraception.
What you can do in the meantime: find a gynecologist (you should be seeing one annually, since you are sexually active), and talk about your birth control options. EC is not a good choice for ongoing birth control, as it is not as effective as the pill or condoms.
If your boyfriend REALLY wants to look out for your health, he would have also picked up a pack of condoms while he was at the pharmacy buying you the EC. He needs to wear a condom each and every time you two have sex to prevent pregnancy. Condoms are up to 98% effective at preventing pregnancy (make sure he knows how to use it correctly!). Hormonal contraception (like the pill) is up to 99% effective at preventing pregnancy.
What you two are doing is called using the "withdrawal method" when you have unprotected sex and he withdraws his penis from your vagina before ejaculating. This is not an effective method of birth control for couples just starting out!
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Hi,
Please read the information booklet that was provided with the Next Step; it concerns me that you are taking medication from your boyfriend that you are not aware of. Please take more control of your own health, as EVERY time you have unprotected sex, regardless of the timing in your cycle, you are INCREASING YOUR RISK for pregnancy.
I am sorry if I sound blunt, but I am really concerned when I read that you are having frequent, unprotected sex and do not want to be pregnant, and are allowing your boyfriend to take the reigns and take control of your health (except for using condoms). Good for him for being educated on emergency contraception!!! I'm really glad you are asking us these questions, but please take care of yourself. :)
What you are experiencing now is called "breakthrough bleeding". It is a common side effect of taking emergency contraception.
You will not know if you are pregnant or not until your next expected menstrual period begins. The unfortunate thing about taking EC is that it also has the side effect of causing irregular periods for a cycle or two. If your period does not begin when you expect it to, you can take a home pregnancy test (it will not be effective any earlier). It is really hard to wait until your period begins, especially if it is late due to taking the emergency contraception.
What you can do in the meantime: find a gynecologist (you should be seeing one annually, since you are sexually active), and talk about your birth control options. EC is not a good choice for ongoing birth control, as it is not as effective as the pill or condoms.
If your boyfriend REALLY wants to look out for your health, he would have also picked up a pack of condoms while he was at the pharmacy buying you the EC. He needs to wear a condom each and every time you two have sex to prevent pregnancy. Condoms are up to 98% effective at preventing pregnancy (make sure he knows how to use it correctly!). Hormonal contraception (like the pill) is up to 99% effective at preventing pregnancy.
What you two are doing is called using the "withdrawal method" when you have unprotected sex and he withdraws his penis from your vagina before ejaculating. This is not an effective method of birth control for couples just starting out!
I am happy to talk with you more!
August 29, 2010 - 2:59pmThis Comment
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