My boyfriend and I had sex last Thursday night (Oct 11) - At that time I had been off of my pill for 6 days, and was still having my withdrawl bleed. The condom was spermacidal, but it broke and he "finished" in me. I immediately took 3 of my birth control pills because I read somewhere they can be used as an emergency contraceptive. It was last (11:00), so we couldnt get Plan B until the next morning, which we did, and I took it 10 hours later when I could get it, at 9:05 am (and then the second pill 12 hours later, at 9:05 PM).

A few questions.

How likely is it that I am pregnant?

How soon can I take a pregnancy test? I read the earliest a Home Pregnancy Test may be able to detect the pregnancy hormone is 8-10 days. I want to take one as soon as possible, and then another week later, and so on for a couple of weeks. Does anybody know?

If anybody could offer some words of advice I would be so grateful. I'm so terrified. :(

My boyfriend and I had sex last Thursday night (Oct 11) - At that time I had been off of my pill for 6 days, and was still having my withdrawl bleed. The condom was spermacidal, but it broke and he "finished" in me. I immediately took 3 of my birth control pills because I read somewhere they can be used as an emergency contraceptive. It was last (11:00), so we couldnt get Plan B until the next morning, which we did, and I took it 10 hours later when I could get it, at 9:05 am (and then the second pill 12 hours later, at 9:05 PM).

A few questions.

How likely is it that I am pregnant?

How soon can I take a pregnancy test? I read the earliest a Home Pregnancy Test may be able to detect the pregnancy hormone is 8-10 days. I want to take one as soon as possible, and then another week later, and so on for a couple of weeks. Does anybody know?

If anybody could offer some words of advice I would be so grateful. I'm so terrified. :(

When you say you'd been off your pills for six days, do you mean you were in your placebo week? If that's the case, you're protected even during that week, as long as you've been taking your active pills correctly beforehand.

No...I had quit my pills the second week in the 3rd pack...so week 2...I just stopped taking them because of the side effects...so it was my "withdrawl bleed"...so I had taken the first week of the third pack, and then stopped them the second week of active pills

Ah, well that changes things a bit.

I'd still say that the superdose of hormones you ingested afterwards makes it pretty unlikely that you are pregnant.

I wouldn't worry too much! "Plan B" is wonderful because it really allows women to have an extended time frame of protecting themselves from unwanted pregnancy. "Plan B" works for up to 72 hours after unprotected sex, and at only 12 hours, I believe the rates of successful contraception are around 95%.

Also, depending on the brand on the birth control pills you took immediately after sex, you might have almost given your body a pre-plan b hormone treatment enough to prevent fertilization.

Those factors combined with the fact that the condom had spermicide on it and you were in a withdraw week (and even if you had not taken the active pills regularly) you were most likely not ovulating at that time.

With the combination of those factors, I would say theres a good 99% chance that you are not pregnant! You have to remember that you did everything right and took all of the right precautions. Don't let yourself stress out for an entire month wondering (that's harder then it may seem- I've been there).

Don't overdo the pregnancy tests (their expensive, not always reliable, and somewhat embarrassing to buy). The tests that are the most accurate are the ones that are used during your missed period. Many brands will test a few days before, and they can really make the difference for a worried girl.

Try to relax about all of this! I know it's the hardest part, but it will make everything easier in the long run. If you need to know anything more about this or need to talk. Get in touch.

Best of Luck!
-Shannon

I really appreciate your post - thank you so much I feel much better...still nervous, but better!