“I got pregnant while on birth control pills. I kept taking them for about a month because I had no clue I was pregnant. Will this affect my baby?”
Don’t panic: you’re not alone. Getting pregnant while on birth control pills happens more often than you might think. And if you kept taking them for a few weeks because you didn’t know you were pregnant, take a deep breath. The good news is that research shows this won’t hurt your baby.
What the Science Says
Doctors have extensively studied this exact situation over the years. Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health did a study of more than 880,000 births in Denmark. This study was very thorough because researchers used official health records from the whole country. The overall rate of birth defects was consistent in women who had never taken the pill at all, those who had used it before getting pregnant, and women who continued on the pill in early pregnancy. In simple terms, their babies were just as healthy as babies whose moms didn’t take the pills.
Shares Brittany Charlton, the lead researcher there, “Women who become pregnant either soon after stopping oral contraceptives, or even while taking them, should know that this exposure is unlikely to cause their fetus to develop a birth defect.”
This study is important because many women take the pill (around 16 percent of women of childbearing age in the U.S. to be exact.) That means many embryos are exposed to the effects of the pill, which can linger for a few months after a woman stops taking it. When taken correctly, the pill’s failure rate is less than 1 percent. If you miss pills, get sick, or take other drugs that interact with the pill, the failure rate goes up to 9 percent.
The Mayo Clinic writes that, “Taking birth control pills during early pregnancy doesn’t appear to increase the risk of birth defects.” That’s pretty reassuring coming from one of the most trusted medical centers in the country.
Why Do Birth Control Pills Have Scary Warnings?
You might be wondering why your birth control package has warnings about pregnancy if it’s actually safe. Here’s the deal: drug companies have to put warnings on everything, even if the danger isn’t proven. It’s basically them covering their bases legally. So those warnings can make you worry for no good reason.
What Should You Do Now?
Even though the research is good news, you should still talk to your doctor about what happened. They can review your medical history, the specific type of birth control pill you were taking, and provide personalized guidance. Plus, they’ll make sure you’re getting the right prenatal care.
Your doctor might also want to talk about taking prenatal vitamins if you haven’t started already. Birth control pills can sometimes affect how your body uses certain vitamins, so extra vitamins might be a good idea.
What If I Got Pregnant While on Birth Control?
Here’s the bottom line: Taking birth control pills for a month before you knew you were pregnant won’t hurt your baby. Major studies with thousands of women prove this. While it’s totally normal to worry (being pregnant can make you worry about everything!), the science is on your side here.
The most important thing now is to focus on taking good care of yourself and your growing baby. Stop taking the birth control pills now that you know you’re pregnant, start taking prenatal vitamins, and see your doctor regularly. You’ve got this! Here are some other blogs filled with tips to help you have a healthy pregnancy:
How to Perform the Most Popular Prenatal Yoga Poses
Your Ultimate Guide to Safe and Effective Pregnancy Exercises at Home
Food Additives to Avoid During Pregnancy
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on October 18, 2013, and has since been updated.