How easy is it to get pregnant on birth control?

Answer 1

"Birth Control pills are very reliable at preventing pregnancy. However, nothing but abstinence is 100% effective. When used as directed the rate of effectiveness varies from 92-99%. In theory, taking the Pill precisely at the same minute of every day would probably guarantee the highest rate of success, but it is not likely possible for a human to do this. While I would never claim to have always taken my pill at precisely the same minute of every day, I do have a story about getting pregnant while using birth control pills. My husband and I used birth control pills throughout our early married years quite reliably preventing pregnancy until we went off them with the intent to conceive, which we did 3 times. We were married young (I was 18, he 19) and we had our kids when we were young with the plan that we would still be young when they all left the nest. They were born when I was 20, 23, and 26. After #3, I was not quite ready to think about a permanent form of birth control such as vasectomy or getting my tubes tied. My doctor approved my taking birth control pills for the time being since I had no history of problems. For 11 years I took birth control pills daily, always after I brushed my teeth before I went to bed. Granted, not always at the same minute, but generally within an hour of the previous pill. When I was 38 and our kids were 17, 15, and 12, I began to have some odd stomach pain whenever I ate and developed heartburn, something I had never had before. I went in for my regular yearly physical where my doctor suspicioned Irritable Bowel Syndrome as the cause of my stomach pain. In a rather blurred series of events, my doctor thought my cervix felt pregnant, I peed in a cup to have a pregnancy test done, it came back positive, and my doctor heard a heartbeat on the Doppler. I had not missed a period, although the one just before my appointment was shorter and lighter than usual. I had not taken any other medication that would have interfered with the Pill's effectiveness nor had I been sick with vomiting or diarrhea. An ultrasound showed I was 17 weeks along already and I had no idea I was pregnant. Our little surprise was born when her siblings were 18, 15, and 12. After that, my husband went in for a vasectomy! One nurse said my ovaries must only have been the size of pinheads after so many years of not ovulating. Everyone, even my doctor, was totally surprised I could have gotten pregnant after so many years on the Pill. Our kids are now 28, 26, 23, and 10. My husband and I have been married for 30 years, very happy to be welcoming only grandbabies into the family now."