Expert: Norman Solberg - 1/12/2012

Question
QUESTION: My wife and I are just beginning to have intercourse and she has been on the birth control pill for about 2 years.  We are not ready for children yet and are trying to decide whether it is necessary to wear a condom in addition to the pill or is it safe to ejaculate inside the vagina with no added protection.
Thank you for your help

ANSWER: As long as your wife takes the pill and doesn't miss any pills, no further protection is necessary.  If a woman gets pregnant while taking the pill, it's almost always because she has missed a pill.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: She is very good at taking the pills around the same time every night.  For future reference, if she does miss a pill, how long does she need to take them again until we are protected fully (next cycle, few days)?

Thank you again for your help, your response has been quick and helpful!

Answer
If she only misses one pill, she should take it as soon as she remembers.  As long as she doesn't miss more than 1 pill, she is still considered protected, although a little less so.  If you want to be sure, she could wait 1 week after missing a pill (or use backup contraception).