A recent article in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune caught our attention, because it discusses an issue women often don’t think too much about: the inherent risks in changing your birth control method.
Health reporter Jane Brody tackles this topic, and the information she shares may be eye-opening to many. Unless you or someone you know has gotten pregnant during the process of changing birth control methods, it likely never occurred to you that this could be a problem.
According to Brody, though, it is a problem, and a fairly large one, in part because women in the U.S. seem to change their birth control methods far more often than you might suspect. According to the article, a study following women over a two year period found that 40% of married participants changed birth control methods during that time. The number for unmarried women was even higher, at 61%.
So why is this happening so often? Well, with the myriad of birth control methods on the market these days, women have a much wider range of choices than ever before, meaning women who are dissatisfied with the method they are currently using – they may be having side effects, or may grow tired of the inconvenience of certain methods like birth control pills – can try a different method more easily than ever before.
But birth control methods work differently, and some take time to become effective
It’s wonderful that medical developments have created so many birth control options. It allows each woman to select the best fit for her body and her lifestyle. The problem comes in when women fail to account for these changes, and end up becoming inadvertently and unexpectedly pregnant.
It’s best, according to the article, to be prepared to overlap your birth control methods as you switch from one to another. How much of an overlap is necessary differs depending on the methods involved, but in some cases may be as long as seven days.
In addition to overlapping, it’s also safest to use a condom or other barrier type of birth control while the switch is taking place.
If you are looking into birth control options, or are dissatisfied with your current form of birth control, talk to your OB/GYN. More importantly, listen carefully and follow any instructions you are given regarding overlapping birth control methods during a switch. Otherwise, you may end up in the exact situation you intended to avoid.
