…Almost every time he ejaculates inside of me, sometimes twice. Could I get pregnant from this? Does this increase my chances of getting pregnant?

First of all, good work—it’s great that you’ve chosen a birth control method and are sticking with it! Depo is more than 99% effective when you receive your shot on time.

It’s good to realize that no hormonal birth control is 100% effective.  Even the most effective methods on the market—like IUDs and Implanon—prevent pregnancy only 99.9% of the time.  In very rare cases, someone becomes pregnant even though they are using a method correctly. Teen Clinic recommends using condoms 100% as a backup and to prevent STI transmission.

So the answer is yes—allowing a partner to ejaculate inside you does increase the risk of pregnancy (although the risk will be low if you’ve received your Depo shot on time). But more importantly, allowing a partner to ejaculate inside you increases your risk for STIs! Talk to your partner about their past sexual history and whether or not they’ve gotten tested, and consider going to get tested together. (It’s free at Teen Clinic!)  Remember, it’s your health! Even though we all want to trust our partners, using condoms is a great way to keep the risks of sexual activity as low as possible.

If you have more questions, consider talking to your practitioner at your next Depo appointment. Our nurses are non-judmental and here to support you! And thanks for asking this important question!

Hormonal birth control methods work by preventing ovulation—in other words, by keeping the ovaries from releasing an egg.  When someone starts a method for the first time, we don’t know for sure whether or not she has already ovulated, so we recommend she use back-up birth control for the first week.  If she has already ovulated and the egg is still in the uterine tubes, there could be a high risk of pregnancy from unprotected sex.

Unfortunately, that means you’re not protected immediately on the shot.  Take Plan B if the unprotected sex occurred less than five days ago to reduce your risk of pregnancy. If it’s too late for Plan B, consider taking a pregnancy test two weeks after the unprotected sex. Teen Clinic offers free pregnancy tests on a walk-in basis.

In the future, getting your shots on time will keep you 99% protected from pregnancy, even the first week after the shot. If you get a shot late, however, you’ll need backup birth control again.  Talk to your medical provider to make sure you understand your method—it’s an important part of being sexually active!

Nope! The most important part of your healthcare is you!  If your birth control method isn’t working the way you’d like, it’s a great idea to talk to a practitioner about switching.  In particular, we encourage patients to consider a different method if they’re experiencing side effects or if their method isn’t easy to use with their lifestyle.

Be sure to call the clinic to let them know you’d like to change the purpose of your appointment. This ensures we’ll have enough time in the schedule to chat with you about different options, and helps us get your paperwork ready in advance.  See you then!

Yes! It’s safe to get Depo Provera—the birth control shot—during or after your period. The most important thing is to make sure you’re getting it on time. If this will be your first Depo shot, be sure to use backup birth control for the first ten days. If you’ve been on the Depo shot previously but are overdue, you will also want to use backup birth control.

It’s important to make sure you understand your birth control method. Next time you get your shot, ask your doctor how it works. This will give you a better idea of what the guidelines are and why it’s important to follow them.

Thanks for asking!

…Or does the ecstasy reduce the chance of it working?

Great question.  On a chemical level, no: ecstasy and similar drugs have not been found to decrease the effectiveness of hormonal birth control, including the Depo-Provera shot. (Some prescription drugs and herbs do, though, so be sure your healthcare providers know what you’re taking.)  If you received your shot on time, it’s more than 99% likely to prevent an unplanned pregnancy, even if you have recreational drugs in your system.

However, drug use can affect your sexual health choices in other ways.  It’s well-documented that those under the influence are more likely to engage in unprotected sex, increasing the risk of STI transmission. Being high or drunk can also negatively affect a person’s communication, decreasing their ability to set boundaries, read a partner’s reactions, and give or withdraw their consent. And they may not be able to look out for their friends or themselves the way they’d like.

So will using recreational drugs affect your Depo’s effectiveness? Not directly. But it’s important to recognize that drug use can negatively affect your sexual health. Want to learn more?  Make an appointment to talk to a practitioner at Teen Clinic. And be sure to use condoms consistently, correctly, and all the time to prevent infection.

…How accurate is this and can it be prevented?

Great question!  Some patients do experience weight gain as a side effect of the Depo shot. That’s because the high levels of hormone in Depo can increase appetite. Patients who get regular exercise, drink plenty of water, and choose healthy foods are less likely to experience this side effect.  Your medical provider can help you brainstorm ways to stay healthy if you’re concerned.

This is a fabulous question. The answer is yes—and here’s why.

First, no hormonal birth control is 100% effective.  Even the most effective methods on the market—like IUDs and Implanon—prevent pregnancy only 99.9% of the time.  In very rare cases, someone becomes pregnant even though they are using a method correctly.

Second, sometimes people make mistakes with their birth control.  They forget to take a pill, put their next patch on late, or leave the NuvaRing out for more than 2 hours at a time.  While all hormonal birth control methods can be up to 99.9% effective, most are about 92% effective with typical use (97% for the Depo shot).

So why bother at all? Hormonal methods are still the most effective, reversible way to be sexually active without pregnancy. When used correctly, the risk of pregnancy is very small. And there are a few things you can do to help your method be the most effective possible.

First, use a condom every time you have sex. Not only do condoms prevent sexually transmitted infections, they’ll also act as a pregnancy prevention backup.

Second, choose a method that fits your lifestyle. Many females are great at using The Pill—but plenty aren’t! If you have trouble remembering to take a pill at the same time every day or change a patch once a week, consider using longer-term methods like Implanon or IUDs. Once these methods are inserted, they prevent pregnancy for 3-10 years—and you don’t have to remember a thing!

Third, talk to your partner about birth control. When both of you are focused on preventing pregnancy, it’s more likely to happen!

Teen Clinic offers free birth control and consultations. If you’d like to talk to a provider about changing your method, give us a call soon.  Thanks for keeping yourself safe and healthy!

Works Like A Charm is an online contest celebrating Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) and the awesome women and couples who use it.  Participation is open to young women ages 18-24 in the U.S. and their partners.

So–what’s a LARC again?

A LARC is a long-acting reversible contraceptive. These methods aren’t permanent, but they are highly reliable. They require less upkeep, which means there’s less opportunity for human error. The Patch, The Ring, The Shot, Contraceptive Implants and IUDs are all considered LARCs!

If you use one of these methods (and love it!) you could win up to $2,000 or an iPad for sharing your experience.

Visit the Works Like A Charm site for more details!

… I don’t want that to happen to me. So, I was wondering what type of birth control and condoms are most effective without personal error to account for?

Thanks for asking! It’s tough to watch your friends face unplanned pregnancies, but we’re glad you’re using this opportunity to tighten up your own birth control methods.  You’re right that human error plays a huge role in birth control failure, so it’s great to think about minimizing this!  Knowing how to use a condom properly—from checking the expiration date to pinching the tip—can reduce your risk significantly. Check your condom knowledge with this great overview, and plan to use a condom every time, even if you’re also using a hormonal method.

While hormonal birth control is more than 99% effective with perfect use, not many of us are perfect! Methods like the Pill, the Patch, and Nuvaring are about 92% with typical use. If you’ve struggled to take your pill on time, you may want to consider a method with less room for error. The birth control shot (Depo Provera) only requires a visit to Teen Clinic once every three months. As long as you come in for your shot on time, there’s no way to mess up!  You may also want to consider the Implanon. This small, flexible rod is placed under the skin in your arm, and prevents pregnancy for three years without requiring you to do anything.

Last, IUDs, or intra-uterine devices, are widely considered the most effective birth control on the market. The Paragard is a copper IUD that can be left in place for ten years, and the Mirena is a hormonal IUD that prevents pregnancy for five years. Once in place, these IUDs are 99% effective.  Learn more about IUDs here.

Make an appointment at Teen Clinic to discuss these methods with a practitioner. And keep in mind that using condoms consistently, correctly, and every time is one of the best ways to improve the effectiveness of any hormonal method—as well as prevent STI transmission.  If you’re choosing to be sexually active, it’s the responsible thing to do!

… At the clinic they told me one week, but online it said fourteen days.

If the Depo-Provera shot is given within seven days of your menstrual period, no back-up birth control is needed.  If you were given the shot after the seventh day of your menstrual cycle, it is important to use a back-up method for seven days.  Keep in mind that Depo-Provera does not prevent against sexually transmitted infections, so it’s important to use a condom consistently, correctly, and every time!

Although menstrual changes are very common for Depo patients, we do recommend taking a pregnancy test if you do not experience bleeding after your first month on the shot. Thanks for double-checking on the details—knowing how your birth control works best is very responsible!