Can You Get Pregnant During Your Ovulation Period on Birth Control?

Understanding how birth control works is critical to getting the maximum protection from it. Knowing when you can or can't get pregnant will relieve fear and anxiety about the product you're using.

Considerations

• Find out what type of birth control you use. The National Center for Health Statistics 2004 study found that the most commonly prescribed method is a combination birth control pill, meaning it has both estrogen and progestin. If your birth control has an "inactive" or "placebo" period, it's a combination birth control.

Function

• The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Education Pamphlet on Birth Control Pills says a woman can get pregnant if she has intercourse around the time of ovulation, when an egg is released. However, most types of hormonal birth control prevent ovulation. When there is no egg to be fertilized, you cannot get pregnant.

Warning

• According to the website for the pill Ortho Tri-Cylen Lo, the correct way to take your pills is one pill each day, at the same time. Missing or taking pills late increases your chances of pregnancy; you may ovulate unexpectedly, near when you have missed pills, and you can get pregnant around ovulation.

Other Types of Birth Control

• The Today Sponge is a chemical spermicide, which does not prevent ovulation.

  Other types of birth control either do not prevent ovulation at all or only prevent ovulation sometimes. Family Health International's fact sheet on using progestin-only pills (POP) correctly says POPs cause a thickening of cervical mucus, which prevents sperm from reaching the egg.

Misconceptions

• Two misconceptions are that you ovulate on birth control when you normally would and that you can get pregnant during your "inactive" or "placebo" week. If you are taking birth control correctly, you are not ovulating at all. According to Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo's FAQs, as long as you have taken your pills correctly you are still protected from pregnancy when you take the "inactive pills".