• Published on: Nov 03, 2021
  • 2 minute read
  • By: Second Medic Expert

Can A Person Get Pregnant While Taking The Pill?

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Can a person get pregnant while taking the pill?

Your doctor originally prescribed it for one reason, to prevent pregnancy

Many women use hormonal contraceptives in conjunction with other forms of contraception for added protection, but that's up to the individual or couple. Methods like condoms or diaphragms may also be more suitable for contexts where a woman is more concerned about STDs than about getting pregnant, such as same-sex relationships or long-distance relationships.

Birth control pill does not protect against STDs or other infection. The pill should be used in conjunction with a condom to prevent pregnancy and STDS. Women should also take precautions when consuming beverages containing alcohol while taking the birth control pill. This is because high levels of alcohol can interfere with contraception and increase a woman's risk of unprotected sex. Drinking a few alcoholic drinks doesn't mean you won't get pregnant, so it's important for women to always practice safe sex too.

Withdrawal bleeding, the monthly menstrual cycle, and ovulation all happen because of a hormone called progesterone. A person typically takes pills for 21 days followed by a pill-free period of seven days. During that time, their body doesn't produce any progesterone and levels gradually rise until they reach the maximum level in the middle of the cycle. The estrogen levels in her body will also increase during this time, which is what helps keep her reproductive tract in shape to support pregnancy. Pregnancy depends on cells lining up just right but that can't happen if there's no risk of exposure to sperm or if there are enough artificial hormones in play to disrupt them when they have lined up well enough.

If an egg is released while the woman is on her period and sperm can make their way to it, fertilization may occur; this is called ovulation. Pregnancy will not necessarily be avoided by using a contraceptive such as a pill if sex during your period occurs at some point when you are on active pills and ovulating.

If a person who is taking hormonal contraceptives is sexually active and also ovulatory, and there was unprotected intercourse around the time of ovulation, they can get pregnant. And contraceptive pills with estrogen do not sterilize women. If a woman is considering using the pharmaceutical as an option to not get pregnant, she must still think about other methods such as surgical sterilization or IUDs as well as having two forms of birth control every day-a form for prevention of pregnancy and another form for STD protection. If you take off your condom but use no other contraception you can get pregnant! Be safe :) And try always wearing a condom even on oral sex!

About 1 in every 4 pregnancies are the result of women who are taking oral contraceptives - which means, statistically speaking, it could happen to you! The birth control pill is designed to work primarily by preventing ovulation. A woman's estrogen and progesterone levels do not need to be low for her to become pregnant because she can still release eggs even while on birth control- although these eggs will most likely be immature and won't produce a fertilizable zygote that will attach to the uterine wall.

There is a short time space during which the woman taking birth control pills can get pregnant, and this time-space varies from 4-6 days depending on the type of pill that she's taking. Pregnancy is a possibility any time you have unprotected sex, or even when your birth control fails for whatever reason. The pill does not provide protection from STDs and the female birth control shot may also have unwanted side effects like weight gain and menstrual changes. Coworkers of mine got pregnant while still taking the pill because they forgot to take them one day (sleepy-time effect).

It's possible to get pregnant while on the pill if there is no condom used during sexual encounters between two people who are sexually active with each other because pregnancy can happen at any point in a woman’s monthly cycle. It has been proven that some babies will be born missing parts of their bodies.

The only foolproof method of not getting pregnant while taking the pill is to stick to one type and take the pills in the right way every day so that no "mistakes" can occur. The pill does not always block ovulation, so the person could get pregnant even while taking the pill. In fact, 5-8% of women on oral contraceptives get pregnant each year and evidence suggests this is because their pills aren't working properly. The chance of pregnancy while on birth control pills is also increased if a woman misses two or more consecutive doses due to less hormone in her system that week.

Read Blog
How Early Screening Saves Lives in India

How Early Screening Saves Lives in India

Most people in India visit a doctor only when symptoms become obvious. But diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cervical cancer, breast cancer, and oral cancer often develop silently for years. By the time they show clear signs, treatment is harder, more expensive, and less effective. Early screening changes that story. It detects illness before it advances, saves lives, and reduces the long-term burden on families and hospitals.

Why Early Screening Matters

Catching diseases early offers multiple benefits:

  • Improved survival - A patient diagnosed with breast cancer in Stage I has a survival rate above 90%, but in Stage IV, it drops below 20%.

  • Lower costs - Treating diabetes at a prediabetic stage is far cheaper than managing kidney or heart complications later.

  • Better quality of life - Early treatment reduces pain, disability, and stress for families.

  • Stronger healthcare system - Screening reduces emergency admissions, freeing hospitals for critical cases.
     

According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), awareness and participation in cancer screening remain worryingly low across many Indian states. In fact, only a small fraction of eligible women have ever been screened for cervical or breast cancer. This shows the huge gap between policy and practice.

Challenges India Faces

Despite clear benefits, India struggles with:

  • Low awareness - Many families are unaware of free or subsidized screening programs.

  • Stigma and fear - Especially around cancers and mental health.

  • Infrastructure gaps - Rural areas often lack labs, machines, and trained staff.

  • Data limitations - As noted in NITI Aayog’s Vision 2035 report, India needs stronger health surveillance systems to track, integrate, and act on screening results.
     

These challenges explain why late diagnosis is so common and why early screening hasn’t yet become routine practice for most Indians.

Innovations in Early Screening

The good news is that India is moving forward.

  • AI-based tools like Thermalytix are being piloted to detect breast abnormalities at lower cost, even in mobile camps (Nature study, Punjab pilot).

  • Mobile health camps bring oral, cervical, and breast cancer screening directly to villages.

  • Telemedicine platforms allow people to consult doctors about screening needs and book diagnostics online.

  • Policy support through programs like NPCDCS (National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases & Stroke) integrates population-based screening into primary health centres.
     

These advances are bridging gaps and making screening more accessible to Indians across age and income groups.

A Call to Action for Families

If you are 30 or above, especially with a family history of lifestyle diseases, it’s time to act. Book an annual health checkup, ask your doctor about cancer screening, and encourage your loved ones to do the same. Early steps can save not only lives but also years of financial and emotional stress.

Book your preventive screening package with SecondMedic today ? https://www.secondmedic.com

Conclusion

Early screening is not just about tests — it’s about giving yourself and your family the best chance at a healthy future. With India facing rising rates of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, prevention and early detection are the smartest investments anyone can make. The numbers already show how much difference early action makes. Now it’s up to individuals, families, and communities to take that first step.

India’s healthcare system is evolving, but awareness and participation are key. By using available programs, health surveys, and digital platforms, we can turn early screening from a missed opportunity into a nationwide habit — one that saves millions of lives.

The Numbers Behind the Story

  • NFHS-5 shows cervical, breast, and oral cancer screening uptake is still below 10% in many states.

  • NITI Aayog projects that stronger surveillance and early detection could reduce preventable deaths by over 20% in the next decade (Vision 2035 Report).

  • IAMAI surveys reveal that more than 70% of urban Indians are now open to digital health platforms, which can accelerate screening adoption.

  • India’s telemedicine and screening market is projected to cross $5.5 billion by 2025 (NITI estimates).
     

Useful Platforms & Surveys

AI-based Breast Screening Study in Punjab (Nature Digital Medicine): Study Link

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