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Is Pregnancy Possible Despite Taking Plan-B?

Posted on Wed, 12 Apr 2017

Question: Ok so I been off birth control pills for over a year. I kind of wanted to stop taking them just to track my period on my own. I been taking birth control pills since I was 14. Originally I got on them because I would get really bad cramps and that is the only thing that would help. I have not been sexually active for about a year so I been tracking my period for the last year and tracking day one of menstrual cycle and how long it last. Well I have been trying right on how to calculate my ovulation days. And they are on days 10-14 based on my menstrual cycle days range of 26 days average. So anyways I been seeing this guy for about 3 months now and was holding out on sleeping with him till I felt comfortable. My period started march 9 Thursday and had unprotected sex with him Saturday night. I was still bleeding lightly on this day my XXXXXXX usually last 324 days :.: Following week I realized that week the cramps got really bad so I decided to call my obgyn to put me back on the pill, so made the appointment to come see her a week later. I went to the doctor last Friday march 17 and she gave me loestrin 24 which I have been on before. So Friday am as soon as I left the office I just started the pack vs starting that Sunday week before Usually I start Sunday after my period. Sure enough that night me and this guy had sex again unprotected and next morning I went to go take the plan b pill because I knew that my fertile window was march 18-22 ( which coincides with what you said ovulation range 10-14 days) were march 21 is my approx ovulation based on all the tracking I been doing lol anyways now I am freaking out because since all this time I have never tracked anything of ovulation and all this since I would be in the pill for so long I never really worried about it. I been keeping taking the pill since march 17 but I know it does not become effective till 7 days after u start. Right ?? What should I do ? I am probably over reacting but all this calculation says are freaking me out .... u think my chances of getting pregnant are strong with all this that has happen this past week? Lately this week I been getting abdominal cramps and they are constant please help could I be pregnant ??

Answered by Dr. Klarida Papaqako (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
From what I understand (if I am right) you have no chances of pregnancy

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

Thank you for using HealthcareMagic to post your health query.
I read carefully your question and I understand your concern.

Thank you for the detailed description.

So, as I understood it, you have had unprotected sex on:
- Saturday the 11th of March, 2 days after your period started: The chances of getting pregnant in this time are almost zero.

- March 17th, which is the day you started the pill but that you also took the emergency pill: If you took the plan B pill, the chances of getting pregnant are almost zero.

You didn't have sex on any other day, right? - in that case, you are safe if you have taken the plan-B pill.

It is true that:

- If you would start the packet of the pill within 5 days of your period it would start having it's effect from the very first days.

- If you start taking the pill after 5 days of the period, then the pill will start taking effect 7 days after.

So, in your case, if you started it 7 days after your first day of the period which means that the contraceptive will start taking effect 7 stays after, so 24th March. Basically, from today you are safe and protected from the oral contraceptive against pregnancy.

But keep in mind that the pill doesn't protect you 100% and also it doesn't protect you against sexually transmitted infections, so using a barrier protection (eg. condom) is always recommended.

Hope this is helpful.
Let me know if you need more clarifications or if you want to add anything to all these information, or feel free to correct me if I understood anything wrong in it.

Regards,
Dr. Papaqako

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee

Follow up: Dr. Klarida Papaqako (4 hours later)

Doctor thank you so much for your response. Yes my partner and I got tested and all came clear so we are in a committed relationship and wanted to have unprotected sex. Yes my period started march 9, prior my period started feb 11 and XXXXXXX 16 so I calculated it was around 26 day cycle. So yes we had sex for the first time on march 11 Saturday night around 11pm. I was still slightly bleeding but not much. After that I decided to get back on the pill and made an appointment with my obgyn which Friday march 17 she put me back on leostrin 24. As soon as I left the office I took my first pill. I had sex with my boyfriend that Friday night around midnight. He was suppose to pull out but did not. So the next morning Saturday I woke up and went to the pharmacy to take plan b one step probably around 12-14 hours after we had unprotected sex. I did not get any side effects but the past 2 days I been feeling uneasy in my stomach and getting a nominal cramps. So I looked at my calculations and it said my fertile range was march 18-22 so that is why I am scared I might of gotten pregnant with these symptoms I am having ? Am I over reacting ??? What are my chances of having sec so close to my ovulation day ?

On another note these are the only times I have had sex on march 11 and march 17 around 11pm-12am both times. Since then nothing sexual has happen between him and I as we are now both scared and decided it's best to use protection moving forward. Are my chances of pregnancy high? With this scenario

Answered by Dr. Klarida Papaqako (6 hours later)

Brief Answer:
You are not pregnant

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

Thank you for the follow-up question.

From all you are telling me, it is not much likely for you to be pregnant.

As I said, there is a 0.1% change that the plan B pill won't work.
So don't worry for now. In case your period won't come when you will finish the 28 day pack, consider doing a pregnancy test 7 days after that.

Again, to reassure you, these chances are very very low.

Let me know if you have other questions or concerns.
Otherwise please kindly close and rate the answer.

Regards,
Dr.Papaqako

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Kampana

Follow up: Dr. Klarida Papaqako (1 hour later)

Thank you doctor last question.. so why am I getting these abdominal cramps and my stomach has been hurting the past few days ??? I never felt this before ??

Answered by Dr. Klarida Papaqako (11 hours later)

Brief Answer:
May be related to some other pathology

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

The symptoms you have may be because of the starting of the contraceptive pill, or something not related with this at all (maybe the sign of a gastrointestinal infection at the beginning stage).

What I am sure is, with what you have told me, it is less likely for these symptoms to be because of pregnancy.

Regards,
Dr.Papaqako

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee

Follow up: Dr. Klarida Papaqako (14 hours later)

Thank you so much for your answers. One last question and I will close the discussion. Can you only get pregnant while you ovulate or your fertile days or anytime of the month ??

Answered by Dr. Klarida Papaqako (14 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Yes, you can get pregnant only during the ovulation.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

Yes, you can get pregnant only when you ovulate.
The problem is that the date of ovulation is not always sure when happens. But what is sure is that the ovulation is not possible to happen while a woman is already with her period.

Hope this makes sense and answers your question.

Regards,
Dr. Papaqako

Note: Revert back with your gynae reports to get a clear medical analysis by our expert Gynecologic Oncologist. Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Nagamani Ng