Becoming Pregnant While Using Contraceptives

If you are using contraceptives and are planning to start a family some planning is a must because it can be terribly unsettling to become pregnant while using some form of contraceptive. If pregnancy is high on your agenda, then the right thing to do is to discontinue oral contraceptives for at least 2-3 months prior to becoming pregnant. Or you should at least wait for 1-2 normal menstrual cycles before trying to conceive. But sometimes the conditions aren't ideal and a woman becomes pregnant while using contraceptives.

What to expect next...

• You should stop the pills immediately if you suspect you are pregnant
• Conceiving while on the pill makes it harder to determine the due date. An ultrasound for that will be necessary
• Evidence suggests that some women are more fertile and can therefore conceive immediately upon discontinuing the pill. It does make sense to plan your pregnancy if you fall in this category and fertility problems and miscarriage were encountered in the past
• In spite of the warnings on the package and what commonsense might dictate that most medications can be potentially harmful to the pregnancy, there is no reason for alarm or to panic.
• According to stats there is no increased risk to the baby if the mother conceives while on the pill
• Rest assured stats also show that women on oral contraceptives do not experience a higher incidence of birth defects, miscarriage or other pregnancy related complications than their counterparts who were not on birth control pills.
• Share your concerns with your doctor.

IUCD (intrauterine contraceptive device)

Popularly known as the coil, it works by creating a less than favorable uterine environment which prevents the fertilized egg from implanting. Still, a small percentage of women do become pregnant. Removing the coil is better than leaving it in despite the risk of miscarriage so that to prevent infection and miscarriage at a later stage. But this is of course best left to your doctor's discretion because sometimes pregnancies fruitfully continue to term despite the IUCD being in place. And in other situations withdrawing the coil is advisable.