I know several women who conceived on the pill and it’s likely that you do, too. The pill is 92-99.7% effective in preventing pregnancy. That means if you know one hundred women who are on hormonal birth control (which is highly likely that you do considering how prevalent it is), chances are at least one of them, and as many as eight of them, might become pregnant anyway. If you have ever watched the show I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant, you know that many of the women featured on the show were taking birth control when they conceived. It’s usually the reason they don’t suspect pregnancy. Many women wonder: is conceiving while on the pill risky for the mother or child?
It is estimated that about five percent of pregnancies involve mothers who were taking oral contraceptives during their pregnancy before they found out they were pregnant. There is very little evidence that would indicate that taking birth control during pregnancy causes birth defects, especially now that oral contraceptives contain much lower doses of hormones. Women who take the mini pill during pregnancy are at an increased risk for ectopic pregnancy, however. Overall, there has not been a lot of research on the topic. Therefore it is always recommended that women stop taking any contraceptive as soon as they find out they are pregnant. Exposure to these strong hormones should be minimized for the baby’s sake.
If you do conceive on the pill, tell your doctor. He or she can do a thorough ultrasound and do any other tests necessary to make sure that there are no complications, at least to ease your mind. It’s likely that your doctor will need to do an ultrasound anyway to determine the due date, especially if your contraceptive allows you to skip periods.