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(see links to other sites with information on sexual health)
Information about Emergency Contraception
NOTE: Many readers have questions about
when they are fertile and when it's possible to get pregnant. If your
question isn't already listed below, see if it is answered when visiting
Ways to Chart Your Fertility Pattern
or when visiting:
Go Ask Alice!: Fertile times?
For information on Effects of Zoloft and other drugs, including pot,
on the efficacy of birth control pills
Click on a question to view its answer.
Ask the Staff is moderated by
Edward Lifshitz, M.D., Director of Busch-Livingston Health Center
My girlfriend is looking into birth control but I have a problem. I've heard that smoking marijuana decreases the effectiveness of birth control. Is this true?
My girlfriend is taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen. I am concerned about its effectiveness because I heard that certain prescription or illicit drugs can cause it to fail. My girlfriend is taking a couple different prescription drugs, and from time to time certain street drugs as well. She insists it is nothing to worry about and does not want to use any form of back-up contraception. What prescription/illicit drugs have the greatest effect on the pill? Where Could find this information? I don't have the names of her prescription medications right now, but I could find them out if necessary.
I am taking Accutane which causes severe birth defects if the mother is takes it during pregnancy. My girlfriend recently became pregnant and we are concerned about traces of Accutane in my semen affecting the fetus. What are the risks?
I currently take Ortho Cyclen and am a frequent smoker of marijuana. Is this just as risky as smoking cigarettes? Will my risk decrease if I go on a lower hormone pill?
I am currently on Ortho Cyclen and taking antibiotics. Will this effect the performance of my birth control pill?
When I was an adolescent I had serious acne, irregular periods, and excessive hair growth. I was put on Dexamethasone for a few years. My doctor at the time wanted to put me on birth control. I have been off it for about five or six years. Over time my periods have been more regular, but I still have some facial hair. My acne has really cleared up too. Would the birth control pill Ortho Tri-Cyclen be right for me?
I am on Triphasil 28. If I am on the third day of a new cycle and I have been on Trimoxicillin for four days, will it alter the effectiveness of my pills? If I've had unprotected sex in the past four days, what are the chances I am pregnant?
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