Patient's question:
My husband and I still want to enjoy our own world for another two years, so we didn't plan to have children. After having sex, I have been taking birth control pills. But this month, my period has been delayed by more than ten days. I bought a pregnancy test and found out that I'm pregnant. But is it okay to take birth control pills a month before getting pregnant?Doctor's answer:
Contraceptives can interfere with the early growth and development of the embryo. The specific extent of the interference depends on the type of medication used. If emergency contraception is used, which is a progesterone-based medication, it poses minimal risk of teratogenicity (birth defects), and the pregnancy can be carried forward. However, if short-term contraception is used, as it involves a longer period of medication use, the interference with the embryo's growth and development is more significant. In such cases, if an accidental pregnancy occurs, it is generally not advisable to continue the pregnancy.