Excessive alcohol consumption has many side effects. Hence the common assumption is that it also affects the effectiveness of birth control options, especially pills. However, it is not valid. Alcohol has no impact on the efficacy of your birth control. But that does not mean you should go for wild boozeroos every other day. Drinking too much alcohol has other side effects that jeopardize birth control methods’ success. If you are on birth control and like drinking, you should know a few indirect effects of alcohol on contraception.
Befuddlement because of intoxication
Hormones in birth control alter your body’s alcohol metabolization rate. It makes your liver work extra as it has to process alcohol in addition to hormones. Consequently, you might get tipsy faster and continue being in that state for longer than usual. It increases the likelihood of missing the pill or using protection during sex. If abstinence is your way of fertility control, intoxication may lead to sexual encounters that lead to unwanted pregnancy.
Taking your birth control late
Emergency birth control pills work when you take them within 48-72 hours of sex. The earlier you take the pill, the more its efficacy. When you indulge in sex after drinking heavily, you might forget to take the pill soon after sex or within this duration. Similarly, if you take regular birth control pills, for example, progestin-only pills, alcoholism may affect their efficacy if it prevents you from taking it at the same time daily. This is because progestin-only pills provide effective pregnancy protection when taken within the same three-hour span every day.
Puking leads to non-absorption
Inflammation in your stomach lining (gastritis) because of alcohol leads to stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting. If you drink so much that you start throwing up, your birth control might not be effective, especially when you vomit within two hours of taking the pill. This is the period when your body absorbs the necessary hormones in the pill to prevent ovulation and conception.
Incorrect observation of menstrual regularity
Being drunk on most days may make you miscalculate the regularity of your periods. It causes you to miss menstrual changes that may indicate pregnancy.
How to make birth control effective when drinking?
So, should you become a teetotaller? Well! It’s your call. However, if you wish to continue drinking while preventing birth control failure, the following steps should help.
Talk to your partner
It takes two to tango, pregnancy, and preventing pregnancy. Ask your partner to carry a contraceptive and let them know you would like them to use it. You may also carry emergency contraceptive pills or condoms for women to prevent pregnancy after an unexpected sexual encounter.
Plan wisely
It is a common notion that sex feels better when you are drunk. But it is not so. Alcohol is, in fact, linked to lowered sexual performance. It may also make your body numb or less reactive to love-making. So, why not plan sex before getting drunk? Not only it may help you experience more enlivening sex but also promise better safety and caution during sex.
Use a feminine health app
Leverage technology for better health. Use an app that sends important health medication reminders for women. Once you download an app, feed a few details about your health and medication into it, and see your smartphone transforming into your health manager. It is particularly helpful when you go to bed drunk and might find it difficult to wake up at the time when you take the pill.
Change the timing of your pill
If drinking socially and sleeping late is a part of your daily life, the chances of missing the pill in the morning go up. Talk to your doctor and ask if you can pop the pill when you are wide awake as per your schedule. For example, you can take the pill in the afternoon or early evening.
Take another pill after vomiting
If alcohol causes you to vomit within two hours of taking the contraceptive pill, call your doctor and ask if you can take another pill immediately after.
In addition to birth control for women, your partner wearing a condom during sex is still the best contraceptive as it minimizes the likelihood of getting a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
What if you miss taking the pill because of intoxication?
Take a morning-after pill or insert a copper intrauterine device if you have had unprotected sex and missed taking your regular birth control pill. Take the emergency contraceptive pill within 72 hours of sexual intercourse. Or, visit your healthcare provider to have a copper IUD inserted within 120 hours (5 days) of having sex. It releases copper ions (which are toxic to sperm) and prevents embryo implantation.
IUD is expensive compared to the anticonception pill, but it is worth the cost as it is slightly more effective.
Which birth control method should you consider apart from the pill?
Consider the following birth control methods If you are still worried about forgetting the pill because of alcohol.
Intrauterine device: These are 99% effective and last three to ten years. You can choose between copper or hormonal (progestogen)IUD.
Ring: You need to insert it into your vagina and replace it every three to five weeks. It releases anti-fertility hormones and is at least 91% effective.
Shot: This is a tri-monthly birth control solution that is about 94% effective. Your healthcare provider injects it on your thigh, buttock, or stomach.
Patch: Apply the patch to clean and dry skin (upper arm, buttock, thigh, lower abdomen). It releases hormones to prevent pregnancy. It is about 91% effective and needs replacement every week.
Barrier methods: These birth control options include diaphragms, male and female condoms, sponges, and cervical caps. You have to use them each time you have sex, and their effectiveness ranges from 76%-98%. The efficacy of these methods also depends on using them correctly.
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