Dear Sex Doc,
I’m on the pill and had the stomach flu last week. Is the birth control pill still effective if I’m throwing up?
Sick n’ Worried
Dear Sick n’ Worried,
It is NOT as effective if you are throwing up. If a woman vomits shortly after taking the pill it will not have time to be dissolved into the blood stream. Therefore, it is just like not taking a pill at all. Because of this, an egg can be released and a pregnancy is possible. Whenever you vomit while taking the birth control pill it is ALWAYS recommended to use condoms as a back-up method to reduce the chances of getting pregnant.
There are many things that affect the effectiveness of the pill including, antibiotics, antihistamines, antacids, and many other medications. You should always consult with your doctor to determine if a certain pharmaceutical product will affect the birth control pill.
Oral contraceptives are 99.7% effective against pregnancy with perfect use and between 92% and 98% effective against pregnancy with typical use. Further, the pill DOES NOT protect against STIs, therefore, condoms should also be used for protection and to increase the effectiveness.
Best regards,
Dr. Brian Parker
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This article was published on Saturday 23 December, 2006.