How well does the combined oral contraceptive pill work?
The pill has an efficacy (theoretical effectiveness) of 99.9 percent, with a typical user failure rate of three percent per year. The difference between efficacy and typical failure rate is attributed to adherence (correct usage), drug interactions, and individual variability. The Pearl index is 0.1-0.2/100 women years (failure rate per 100 women using the method for one year). I am 20 years old, and on the birth control pill. I was just diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease, and as a result I often have diarrhea and go to the bathroom more frequently. Is my pill still effective? That is a very good question. Medications that you take by mouth must be absorbed through the lining of your intestines into your blood stream in order to work. Anything that makes things pass through your intestines faster than normal (like the flu, inflammatory bowel disease or other conditions) can reduce the amount of a medication that is absorbed because there is less time for absorption to occur. Hav
