Expert: Mia - 8/22/2008

Question
hi there, i just had a question.  ive been on birth control for about 5 months
now.  if my boyfriend ejaculates inside of me what are the chances that i will get
pregnant? do you recommend him pulling out before he ejaculates? what if hes
a bit late and some sperm gets inside of me?

Answer
Hi Heather,

As long as you take your pill on time and do not miss a day, there is little chance of becoming pregnant. Less than 1 in 100 women (less than 1%) become pregnant when using the pill perfectly for one year. A typical woman does not take the pill perfectly (at the exact time every day), so we usually say 3 in 100 women will become pregnant in 1 year. Still, it is a small chance.

The withdrawal method is not really an effective birth control method. It can be difficult to time withdrawal correctly, and pre-ejaculation fluid can also contain sperm. Since you are on birth control, you are still protected in case this happened. However, you are not adding much more protection. Instead, I would recommend using condoms in addition to the pill, as they will also help prevent pregnancy plus protect against STDs.

I hope this has helped. If you have further questions, let me know.

-Mia