Birth control can be an important part of a romantic relationship.
Birth control pills are the most familiar and commonly used form of hormonal contraceptive. Many women, however, use injectable contraceptives or hormone patches. How a woman changes her type of birth control depends on the composition of hormones and where she is in her menstrual cycle.
Birth Control Pills
One common form of birth control pill is the estrogen and progestin combined (COC) pill, which includes both estrogen and a synthetic form of progesterone. If a woman switches to a progestin-only (POP) pill right after she finishes her last COC pill for week three, she shouldn't need to use a backup, such as condoms. She wouldn't use the week four, or placebo, COC pills and would start with the active POP pills.
If she changes from a POP to a COC pill, many physicians recommend using a back-up contraceptive for the first seven days that she starts taking the new pill. She would finish off the POP pills for all four week of the cycle and then start taking the COC pills. The other option is to skip the placebo, or white, POP pills and take her first active COC pill on the first day of her period, in which case she wouldn't need to use a backup method of birth control.
Other physicians recommend using a backup method for up to a month after starting a new type of pill, just to be safe in case the hormonal changes affect her fertility level.
Contraceptive Patch
For women currently using a contraceptive patch such as Ortho Evra, changing to a COC pill is easy. They just stop using the patch and start taking the active COC pills whenever they want. There should be no change in the level of protection against pregnancy.
To change from the pill to a patch, the woman should finish the third week of pills and start the patch in the fourth week. She can either start the patch on the Sunday after her period starts, in which case she would need to use a backup protection option for at least seven days, or she should start the patch within 24 hours of starting her period and would not need to use backup protection.
Injectable Hormones or Hormone Implants
Women who use injectable birth control, such as Depo Provera, should start using their new birth control pill when their next shot is scheduled to remain protected against pregnancy. There wouldn't be a need to use a backup contraceptive in this case.
Backup Options
Of course, if you have doubts or feel that you need a backup birth control option while you are switching between different types of hormone-based birth controls, you can always use a traditional male condom and spermicide. Many condoms come with either lubrication or with spermicide already applied to it. Tubes of spermicide are also available and can add extra protection during your transition period. A female condom is another option as well. Diaphragms and cervical caps also help provide protection against unplanned pregnancies.
Tags: need backup, birth control, start patch, active pills, against pregnancy, backup method