Birth control and pregnancy risks

Hey! So, I’ve been on birth control for about six months now, and tomorrow is my last pill
and then I'm just done—not taking them anymore at all. I need to know how many days I’m actually safe after that last dose? Does that whole seven-day break thing even matter if I'm stopping for good? Thanks.

swiftviper23 said:Hi! So, I've been on birth control for about six months, and tomorrow I'm taking my last pill
and then I'm stopping completely. How many days am I still protected after that last dose? Does that 7-day break actually count if I'm not going back on them? Thanks.

Don't rely on those seven days. You won't be taking a pill on the eighth day, which means ovulation could technically happen then.
Basically, if you had sex a few days prior (days 4, 5, 6, or 7), there is a risk of pregnancy.

I'm not entirely sure how long sperm can survive inside you—some sources say three days, others say up to five.
So don't gamble with it. Start using another form of protection as soon as you finish this pack.

quietangler89 said:Look, I get it, all that official stuff in the little pamphlet you get with the birth control is super clear, but honestly, whenever I'm scrolling through this forum, there’s always some random person bringing up their friend or even just a personal story about someone getting pregnant while they were supposed to be protected... And I’m not talking about those cases where someone forgets to take their pill or misses half the pack and then acts shocked when it fails—that’s just common sense. No, I mean, what do you guys actually think about those weird situations where everything seems to be done right, but it still happens?

Yeah, someone always brings up a horror story like that, and isn't it funny how it's usually the people who are totally against the pill who love to talk about it? Personally, I know a ton of women who either take them or have taken them for years, and not a single one of them ended up pregnant—except for maybe one girl who was basically skipping days anyway...

At the end of the day, I was on them for years myself, had regular sex, and absolutely nothing ever happened (knock, knock)...

Thanks, Carol Brooks41.

Birth control pills stop ovulation entirely... there’s no egg release happening at all, so what you just said is totally off base.