Is Sporadic Use of Birth Control Pills Effective and Safe?
Q. I used to be on the Pill but stopped taking it because of weight gain and a few other side effects. I am in a long-distance relationship. The last six months or so, I have taken birth control pills (left over from my old prescription, or from a friend) only during the times I have been having sex, which has only been about four weeks total out of the last six months. Are there any health risks associated with doing this? I don’t want to take the Pill permanently, but I don’t want to get pregnant either. A. The pill is not effective taken the way you describe. It does no good to take it only when you are having sex. It must be taken at the very beginning of a menstrual cycle and continued throughout that cycle in order to prevent pregnancy. If you start taking pills any day other than the first day of your cycle, you must use another form of contraception until the entire pack of pills is completed in order to prevent pregnancy. Taking a pill here and there is NOT effective.he so-cal
