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Birth Control & Antibiotics?! Help!

By Anonymous August 13, 2015 - 1:20pm
 
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I've been on the pill and have been taking it faithfully for a long time now. Lately, I've been diagnosed with H-pylori and I have to take a course of antibiotics now. (Such as doxycyc mono, metronidazol, and pantoprazol) Without thinking about the effectiveness it would have on my birth control I took the medication right away. I only had unprotected sex the day before I took the medicine. My concern is if there is a huge chance of me becoming pregnant. I only had 2 hormonal birth control pills left in my pac once I started taking the antibiotics and I took them. Help?

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Hi Anon,

Thank you for sharing your question with the EmpowHER community.

Although there has been some evidence that antibiotics can reduce the action of birth control pills, it has not been scientifically proven that unwanted pregnancies can occur by this means. Because of this, drug manufacturers caution that antibiotics could decrease the effectiveness of birth control pills.

Since it is better to be safe than sorry, individuals taking birth control pills are advised to use a second reliable method of birth control when taking antibiotics.

I hope this helps.

Be well,
~Gillette

August 13, 2015 - 2:10pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to S Gillette Palmer)

Thank you for your comment/advice! Do you think there is a chance I could be pregnant because I had unprotected sex the day before I took the antibiotics though?

August 13, 2015 - 4:03pm
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