While there are many positive side effects from taking a once-daily birth control pill — no more heavy periods, no more acne, less intense menstrual cramps — the main purpose, as the name suggests, is to prevent pregnancies. It is just one of many forms of contraception used by those who are not ready to have children.
Yet those on the Pill can attest that the potential for human error is high. The Pill’s effectiveness is reduced if a dose is skipped or even taken outside a specific margin of time. The Guttmacher Institute reports that 54 percent of women who have had abortions say they’ve used some form of contraception (usually the Pill or a condom), and of once-daily pill users who had abortions, 76 percent said they used them inconsistently. At last, there might be hope for the fair-weather BC pill user! Keep reading »
