The pill isn't 100 percent effective even if you take it exactly as you're supposed to. It IS something like 99.5 percent effective -- but there is always that .5 percent of women who, for whatever reason, it doesn't work perfectly for.

a couple of things..

assuming by the "white pills" you mean the week of placebo pills then those should hold no bearing on having sex w/out taking the pill that week as they have no hormones in them..

you can pretty much only get pregnant during the time of the month that you are ovulating(about half-way into your cycle) and when you are on the pill you do not ovulate(the hormones prevent the releasing of the egg, thus is how BC pills work) therefore by the time you are on your placebo pill you are already past the point in your cycle where you would have been ovulating..generally girls who are on the pill and get pregnant due to missing a pill/taking a pill later around the time of ovulation, thus the release of the egg is not blocked... there are other issues that can contribute to ineffectiveness of the pill, for instance certain prescription drugs like anti-biotics nullify the effects of oral contraceptives..other factors such as strength of the hormones compared to body weight(lower levels have been shown to be ineffective in larger women) but your doctor would know what pills would be effective for your body type, and if you have had no concerns until now then that should not be an issue..

at least i think thats how it works, i'm not a doctor so i wouldn't take that information for absolute fact..but its the general idea :)

bottom line is you shouldn't be too worried.

This part is more or less correct. If an rH negative mother has an rH positive child, and there is mixing of the blood (very likely during pregnancy), then the mother will build up antibodies against the positive rH factor. The next time the mother's body comes into contact with the positive rH factor (i.e., her next pregnancy with an rH positive fetus), her immune system would attack it as it would any other foreign body.

This part...not so much. If I'm remembering correctly from my genetics class, if your mother was O and your father was AB, then you should either be A or B. Your chances for each genotype look like this:

A B
O AO BO
O AO BO

So a cross between an AB and an O has a 50% chance of being A and a 50% chance of being B because A and B are dominant to O.

ETA: As for the rH factor, that is based on both the mother's and the father's genetics, as is the blood type. It is not inherited strictly from the father.

eew science!!! *runs in the other direction*:eek:

Yeah, I was right. Woo, memory!

Click here for everything you ever wanted to know and more about the genetics of blood types.

I am laughing so hard at this! :D

LOL@ this
 

I am too. That was a classic line!

To the person that said that a woman had a baby and was in a bikini just hours earlier....you tell her that she is ONE lucky lady. I, personally, dont know anyone who could have pulled that off.

Q

Dayum...you have another one coming? ;)

Alrighty then...
 

First off, I have never been pregnant, so I cannot fathom what actually happens when one becomes pregnant.

Second, I am only a lowly Ph.D. research scientist that studies molecular genetics and cardiovascular biology--genes and chromosomes... So, I do not have the utmost expertise in the area of reproductive biology as it relates to the human female other than what I experience on a monthly basis.

However, as I understand it:

A ovulation and menstruation may not necessarily be tied together genetically... You can do the Entrez-PubMed search if you would like...

There are at least 10 different hormones a "normal" ovulating female who is NOT on birth control pills or any other reproductive or hormonal medication. Of those, the important ones regulating both ovulation and menstruation are:

Estrogen--increases while not menstruating
Progesterone--peaks during menstruation--and relative increases during pregnancy
Testosterone--not just for men anymore--plays a significant role in ovulation
FSH--follicle stimulating hormone--acts early during ovulation
LSH--Lutienizing stimulating hormone--acts toward the end of ovulation tract
and Gonadotropin--acts on many different levels

Some pregnant women have a regular period, as if it on the latter days of the menstruation cycle--the regular Always pads--not the Always with wings Super overnights for used for daytime 'cuz a period is chunckily horrendous with migraines and evil attitudes... Then the period wanes as the pregnancy continues...

Some women are spotty thru out their pregnancy and use the pantyliners...

Some women are the textbook example of a pregnancy...

Every woman varies during her pregnancy and that may be genetically predisposed. Most the time, a woman's reproductive cycle is similar to that of her mothers--including the fibroids and hysterectomies.

Women who get pregnant on the pill usually are taking them incorrectly, however, there is evidence that ovulation can be irregular in some women and these women constantly ovulate even while taking a low dosage estrogen analogs. High dosage estrogen analogs taken correctly typically turn off the ovulation schedule.

Moreover, some antibiotics interfere with the effectiveness of the pill. Meaning the estrogen analog cannot turn off the ovulation schedule because the antibiotic drug is in the way--to explain it colloquially. One antibiotic is tetracycline and its analog drugs.

If a woman becomes pregnant while on estrogen analogs, it may severely harm the fetus. The child that is born can have birth defects--the baby's skull does not form--anencephalopathy. That is why most drug manufacturer's recommend a doctor's consult if a woman suspects pregnancy while on the pill.

What happens while a "normal" woman who has regular monthly menstruation, the estrogen analog is really high--for some breast cancer researcher it is too high. When a woman stops the estrogen analog, it is like a complete drop in that hormone. What the body does is try to compensate all month long with all the other 10+ hormones that cycle regularly--one being progesterone. When the estrogen analog drops, progesterone sky-rockets up and that signals to the uterine wall, the endometrium, to slough off--hence, causing menstruation.

So in essence, the young lady described as to not taking the white pills and has UNPROTECTED intercourse with a man, is most likely NOT to be impregnated. Typically, for most women, it takes 5-14 days for the FULL estrogen analog effects to wear off in the body. But it differs from woman to woman.

Typically, a woman may be unable to become pregnant during her menstruation, especially if she is taking the pill. However, there are cases of several women getting pregnant while menstruating... PM me if you have questions...

How a spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) occurs is not well understood. It is thought that a severe genetic abnormality can trigger a miscarriage--like instead of a normal 4 celled embryo, one has a 5 celled embryo. There may be toxic substances or necrotic (dead) material on the endometrium.

ABO Blood groupings and Rh factors have nothing to do with the propensity to become pregnant. If anyone has that kind of conceptualization, then I suggest that this person goes on the Maury Povich show and get the DNA test required...

I have known 2 girls who actually became pregnant while on the depo shot which I totally thought was impossible since you have like no type of period at all.


Nichole

In my reluctance to spring forth shaggy-haired existentialists who are the spitting image of the Boy, I am a big believer in multiple methods of contraception. Freak accidents can happen, to be sure. But, when in doubt, use more than one method.

There is still the possiblity of having a period/"spotting" with the depo shot.....my mom gets the shot and she begins spotting almost two weeks before she's due for her next shot (it all depends on if the person administering the shot gives the range of dates or a specific date for getting the next shot). As for pregnancy with the shot, I have no idea how that works.....

I'm no science major or anything, but from everything I've ever read and heard from reliable sources (teachers, doctors, professors, etc), NO method of birth control is 100% effective, except complete abstinence (and even then I wonder, which I'll get into in a sec). And last I read, depo provera is only 99.7% effective, so thinking of how many people are having sex and how often, that 0.3% is pretty damn big. Just my take on it.

Now my questions for this esteemed group of people:

1) A high school friend of mine had a sister who never had sex, but became pregnant. Doctors verified that she had never had sex after learning of the pregnancy. The story goes that she and her boyfriend had been fooling around after swimming, all she had on was a bikini whereas he had nothing on, he did not ejaculate, but, as is likely to happen, some pre-ejaculation must have gotten just a little to close, and she ended up having the immaculate conception.

How likely is this and does it really even sound that true (I never knew well enough to know for sure)?

2) Ortho Tri-Levlen is a b/c pill that's extremely similar to Ortho Tri-Cyclen. I was on this pill (first tri-cyclen, then tri-levlen) and went off of it recently (about a month ago). When I originally went on the pill, I gained weight, about 15 pounds and never really got it off. So now that I'm off the pill, how likely is it that I will lose weight, if at all? What's the average amount of weight lost, if any and how long does it take to make a difference? I'd really love to get some opinions on this.

I've heard of this happening -- I remember reading an article in some teen magazine by a girl that this happened to. I don't think it's very likely at all, but it's probably possible. Stranger things have happened.

um, depending on the distance (and the pH, temp, etc of the water) . . . as well as your particular religious background . . . stranger things may NOT have happened (ok, maybe once).

Sperm can only survive in a very regulated environment - think of how specialized the scrotum is, for example

I personally think the the Depo shot and its race to get it out on the market was too fast. How can Depo be approved by RU-486 can't?

Either way, the damage done to one's body is enormous!

At any rate, only persons who ought to be taking Depo shots are sex offenders!

RU-486 was approved in either late 2000 or early 2001. The anti-abortion bloc in this country is powerful enough that most women don't have access to it, or cannot take it as necessarily prescribed. :mad:

I didn't know they prescribed Depo as a form of chemical castration till I saw it on Law and Order.:o That in itself is pretty damned scary--if it does that to men, what else does it do to women? :eek: Exactly how damaging is it?

RU-486 cannot be used for abortions... You said it yourself... Many researchers have the drug and use it on animals for whatever reason, but it is not approved for the use in humans...

I cannot begin to fathom what havoc Depo shots could do to a woman's reproductive tract...

But hey, some women like to get busy and not suffer having unwanted pregnancies... So hey, all I got to say is protect yourself at ALL times...

My concern is with Sexual Transmitted Infections like HIV...

I nearly got cursed out asking how a woman who found out she had HIV because her first child was born with AIDS--but on her second child's birth, the child was HIV-free because the mother took AIDS antivirals during her pregnancy... I was like, WTF, HOLD UP--HOW IS SHE GETTING PREGNANT THE 2ND TIME??? And she cain't affort any Artificial Insemination or SIF??? And the MD researchers were like, we have NO idea what AIDS antiviral cocktails do to the unborn fetus...

Oh well...

Ok, I'm certainly no science major, but this seems pretty darn preposterous. I'm not calling you a liar by any means, it just seems a little far fetched...Maybe the guy was Clark Kent and had super sperm that could leap through swimsuits in a single stroke.:p

it can happen. it's very rare, but it is possible.

i know way too much about bio for someone who hates science with a passion.

Okay, now I'm really confused. This is what I got off of the Planned Parenthood site:

Mifepristone provides women with a medical alternative to aspiration (suction) abortion. Mifepristone, approved for use as an abortifacient by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 28, 2000, is an antiprogesterone drug that blocks receptors of progesterone, a key hormone in the establishment and maintenance of human pregnancy. Mifepristone induces spontaneous abortion when administered in early pregnancy and followed by a dose of misoprostol, a prostaglandin.

But, there's a reason I'm going to be an architect--I don't do science. ;) Is there a difference between Mifepristone and RU-486?



If there's one thing that I consider myself a conservative about, it's the fact that I'm completely close-minded about safer sex. There's just no question or grey area. BE SAFE.

If I had to do what you do, I'd get cursed out all the time. :p

i hate to weigh in on the this conversation, but chlorine kills things in pools! his "noodle" (as my 3 yro nephew calls it) had to be NEARLY inside for that to happen.

Yes, you can be pregnant and still have your period.

You guys are cracking me up!
I had to explain to my mother that a woman releases on egg a month during ovulation and she was like "Oh- so how do twins happen!" god love her!

As for the RH factor thing-
when I got my card from the red cross I found out I don't have either of my parents blood types!
My dad is A+ my mom is B+ and I have AB+ blood!

Oh and whomever started the RH factor talk- there is no such thing as Double O anything for a blood type!
The rarest blood is AB negative however.

You actually have both of your parents' blood types (A + B = AB).

Anyone who is O blood type actually has the genotype OO (because they got 1 O gene from each of their parents), which may be where he was getting the idea of double-O from. But, as someone else (probably AKA_Monet) said, blood type doesn't affect your ability to reproduce.

I haven't kept up with the literature regarding the use of abortion drugs. So, I will have to look into it... But from what I understand, which I could be wrong, I do not think that the abortion drugs are "allowed" for human use in the United States...

These drugs are rather peculiar in their actions from what I understand. One has to take them at least 3 times over a 1-2 week period? And it is like it is causing a "spontaneous abortion" or miscarriage, which can be harmful to the mother simply because of the huge blood loss. Careful monitoring must be done. And if a patient does not follow the regimen, then ending the pregnancy is not ensured--no telling what that does to a fetus or the mother...

Someone said about the ABO blood grouping and differences in phenotype and genotype...

Remember--basic genetics:

Phenotype is: what you see is what you get...

Genotype is: what is exactly, physically present in a piece of DNA...

My mother is A, phenotypically, my father is O--in order to be completely O and not any other, my father MUST be OO, genotypically... Which makes me an AO genotype--definitely... That suggests my mother is AA, genotypically... Make sense?

PM me if it does not... I had to teach my students this difference all the time...

What about TYPE O NEGATIVE!!! Rock and Roll LIVES!!!!!!


Man, this thread is cool! Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll!!!!

Nothing like a little head bangers ball baby!!!! Type O negative is one of the best Bans in the whole world!!!!!!!!!



(Obviously, I am kidding)

Re: Can you be pregnant....
 

God, I hope not. Then I really wouldn't feel well at all.

Usually, a woman who has had unprotected sex and becomes pregnant might have a "spotty like" period--not the full on "chunky" really bloody like period--that some of us ladies, endure monthly...;)

I know of a woman who had no clue that she was pregnant. She said she had her period. When I asked her if it were "spotty", she answered, "Yes, but it has been like that for awhile and I thought that it was because I was close to 40 years old..."

Well at least she found out in time enough that it did not put the child in jeopardy with prenatal care...

Anyhow, if there is massive weight gain within 2-3 months, spotty periods and changes in eating habits, it is highly suggestable that a woman ought to see a doctor and take the pregnancy test...

there is such thing as "implantation bleeding" it happens when the embryo floats down into the uterus and implants into the uterine lining, causing anything from spottying to period like bleeding. You can also cramp during this time - it is your uterus expanding.

There are also things called chemical pregnancies - where there is enough HcG to cause a + pregnancy test, but for whatever reason the embryo doesn't implant and passes right through....the woman would have a heavier than normal period as usually never know. So 'technically' she could be pregnant and have a period.

Spotting or not, what you think is a period or not, a home pregnancy test that measure at least 40 HcG is 99% accurate as soon as your period is late :)

the abortion pills are not allowed for human use in the United States, they are however used all over Europe.

RU-486 is commonly known as the morning after pill. You can take it up to 72 hours after sex to prevent pregnancy. All it does is prevent the fertilized embyro to implant in the uterine wall. It does not, however, do anything if the embryo is already implanted. I'm not sure of the side effects on the baby is taken when you are already pregnant.

I was told that RU-486 blocks the bonds that forms the umbilical cord onto the uterine wall...

As I understand it, once the embryo has reached the fetal stage, there are complex multiple bonds the form the umbilical cord and it would be too difficult for just one RU-486 treatment to break those bonds. As a result, RU-486 would act in other places--meaning that it could cause harm to the fetus. If the fetus was brought to partuition, then there could be birth defects...

Per the FDA website about the drug interaction and teratogenic affects as seen in lab animals: "Skull defects, cranial nerve palsies, delayed growth and psychomotor development, facial malformation and limb defects have all been reported after exposure during the first trimester."

Munchkin03--I guess you are correct about RU-486... See website:

RU-486

exactly right - when an embryo links onto the uterine wall, that bond eventually becomes the placenta and umbilical cord :)

wow all of those side effects are pretty awful. This explains why they say don't wait to until the full 72 hours to take RU-486

Warning
 

If anyone is taking Ortho-Lo, you may want to use backup birth control or switch to something else. My friend's cousin got pregnant while she was on Ortho-Lo and she didn't know it. She was feeling sick, so she went to the doctor. After running some tests, the doctor told her she was pregnant, and get this - she was 5 months along. She hadn't gained any weight and she was still getting her period. She immediately went off the pill, and luckily, there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with the baby. The doctor said that the problem is probably that she was on a stronger dosage before she went on Ortho-Lo, so her body wasn't used to such minimal hormone levels and she started ovulating again. Scary stuff!

During the first trimester it is somewhat common for a woman to have periods..... case in point my sister in law.



She is carrying twins and she started bleeding and the only explination of it was the dr told her is that sometimes the body is not completely relased of the blood meant for the period at that time of month. Now this happened to her twice in the first few months nothing after. Spotting is pretty common too.

As for Birth Control Pills.......my Dr tolds me when i was using them , when i was MUCH MUCH younger than all of you, is the fact that after using the pill for a long period of time the body is so use to them that getting pregnant would take time because the pills dosage is strong and immuned to not get pregnant. I have been told it takes a good 6 months off the pill to get pregnant if your the rare lucky ones who can get pregnant after using them.

The only real time you can ,minus the use of the pill , is ovulation time of the month .... and to get pregnant without sex ....wow! How that girl got pregnant from her BF in a swim suit .....totally the immaculate conception!

What do you mean by this? I had always heard that it was easier to get pregnant after you were on the Pill because they regulate your hormones. Now, I know that it can be hard if you are trying to get pregnant right after getting off of them.

I don't plan to get pregnant anytime soon but just wondering for the far off future and that kind of scared me :( ...

I've heard the same thing, that after you have been on the pill it is pretty common to get pregnant right after you go off-hence the women getting pregnant when taking antibiotics or missing 2 pills!!! Maybe women who have trouble getting pregnant after being on the pill are women who may have had trouble anyway? Just a thought!

My doctors always said to use other forms of birth control for the first 3 months after going off the pill to allow your hormones to get back to normal and avoid harm to the baby.

I got pregnant on the pill. I ovulate twice every month and was put on one of those pills that changed the amount of hormone (the tri-whatever pills) throughout the cycle. It's not designed for two per month. Unfortunately, I miscarried that time.

My daughter is a condom and foam child. SURPRISE, but very wanted and very loved!

My son was just a happy surprise... the one and only time I had unprotected relations! I was planning on trying to have another one in 6 months.. so he was just a bit earlier than expected.

Some are just more fertile than others.

I am on depo now to stop my periods completely because I'm anemic from other medical conditions and the doc feels I'd be a mess if I was having periods. I don't care if it wrecks my reproductive system because I'm not having any more kids. My primary care doc won't approve me having my tubes tied either. She says "You know how many women turn 40, get remarried and want a baby with their new husband?". Well, I tell you, I wouldn't be one of those! I won't remarry, I don't want more kids and the other medications I'm on are seriously dangerous to embryos so it's out of the question. She still refuses though.

Re: Warning
 

I've heard that many gynecologists won't even prescribe it because it's no good. I asked mine about it when I went in for an appointment a few weeks ago. I don't like the idea of the extra estrogen in my system from the regular pills since researchers are still unsure about the connection between birth control pills and breast cancer. My gynecologist said, "I'd rather you stick with the regular birth control pills. I really don't like this new Ortho-Lo pill they have out."

Absolutely, 100%, not true! Research has shown that women who are on the pill and go off of it have no less of a chance of conceiving than women who were never on the pill. In fact, research has shown that women who just went off of the pill have a greater chance of conceiving than women who were never on it.