Can my girlfriend still get pregnant if she’s on birth control?

By Attia @ Planned Parenthood | July 1, 2020, 3:03 p.m.

if my girlfriend is about to get on birth control, how long do we have to wait to have sex? also if i ejaculate in her while she is on birth control can she still get pregnant?

The answer to this depends on which method, and when it’s started in relation to their period. If your partner starts using certain types of hormonal birth control, including the pill, patch, ring, or implant, within 5 days of the start of their period (the first day of bleeding), they’re protected from pregnancy right away. If they’re using a hormonal IUD or the birth control shot and start within 7 days of the start of their period, they’re protected right away. If they start taking their birth control at any other time during their menstrual cycle, it takes 7 days for their birth control to start working. The only exception to this is certain types of birth control pills — called Progestin-Only Pills or mini-pills — for these it only takes 2 days (48 hours) for them to start working.

If you’re not sure which method they’re using or any of this is confusing, you can always wait 7 days from when they start birth control to have sex and you’ll be covered. You can use a backup method — like a condom — during that first week while you’re waiting for protection to begin.

But remember, hormonal methods offer no protection against sexually transmitted infections. So even after birth control kicks in it’s a good idea to also use condoms and dental dams to help protect you and your partner from STDs.

Tags: birth control, the pill