If it's too late for kb injections, can I get pregnant?

As with birth control pills, injectable contraceptives also affect hormones in the body. The difference is, in injectable birth control, you don't need to inject every day like the birth control pill. Even so, some injecting family planning users switch to other contraceptives because they forgot the last time they had injected contraception. Then, what if it is too late for the birth control injection to be scheduled. If you have this, can you get pregnant if you are late for birth control injections? Check out the full explanation below.

What happens when you give birth control injections?

Injectable contraception is an effective form of contraception to prevent pregnancy. In birth control injections, there is a progestin hormone that can manipulate the condition of a woman's hormones so that pregnancy can be prevented.

If you want to prevent pregnancy using birth control injections, you need to routinely do birth control injections every 12 weeks or you could say every three months. Routine is a sign that you should not forget that it is too late to administer birth control injections.

Within 12 weeks, birth control injections will work to stop the ovulation process (release of an egg). Because the ovulation process stops for 12 weeks, the sperm that enter the female reproductive tract will not meet the egg. This prevents pregnancy from happening.

During these 12 weeks, this birth control injection also causes the mucus in the cervix to thicken so that sperm cannot enter further into the uterus. In addition, this injection temporarily thins the uterine wall, so that the uterine wall cannot be used as a process for embryonic development.

That means, even though fertilization has occurred previously, the embryo cannot live in the womb and pregnancy does not occur. In these three ways, birth control injections are very effective in preventing pregnancy.

Unfortunately, birth control injections have several side effects such as irregular menstruation, increased appetite, headaches, weight gain, increased blood pressure, and bone loss. That is why the use of birth control must be under a doctor's supervision.

Reporting from the Healthline page, if you experience side effects, this means that these effects will remain until the injected hormone content runs out of its working period in the body, which is for 12-13 weeks thereafter. If you stop using it three months after the first injection, the side effects will also fade away.

Is it possible for me to get pregnant if I'm late for the birth control injection?

Then, what if you forget and are late for the birth control injection? One of the things that might happen if you forget and it's too late to get injectable birth control is getting pregnant. Yes, you may become pregnant if you are late for the birth control injection, because the hormones that helped you prevent pregnancy from the previous birth control injection may have run out.

However, of course, the possibility of getting pregnant is due to the late birth control injection provided that you have had intercourse and do not use backup contraception such as condoms.

One possibility that will happen if you have sex with a partner when you are late for the birth control injection is that you could become pregnant after 3-4 months of not getting the birth control injection. However, for some women who have not given birth control injections for 1-2 years, some are not pregnant yet.

This means that the late effects of getting a contraceptive injection can vary for each woman. However, if it has been more than three or even four months that you have not received the birth control injection, you are considered too late and the birth control injection that you received before would no longer work. That way, pregnancy might happen.

Therefore, if you are using injectable contraceptives as your contraception, you should carefully remember your injection schedule regularly. Make sure that you are not late in getting injection contraceptives because their function as contraception may not work properly.

The doctor will usually ask you to do a pregnancy test if it turns out that you are two weeks late for not having the birth control injection from your schedule. Especially if you have had sex in the last 120 hours.

What should be done if you are late for birth control injections?

If you are a busy person, many activities will certainly make you forget about various things. One of them, forgot the schedule for family planning injections, so that the family planning injection was late. Maybe you already had sex with your partner, but you forgot the last time you had the birth control injection.

When you realize this, you certainly panic absurdly. This is because you are worried that you will fail to postpone your pregnancy, or in other words that you are afraid of conceding pregnancy. Then, what should you do if you are late for birth control injections?

So, to solve this problem, the first thing you have to do is remember the last time you had a birth control injection. You can do this by checking the contraceptive injection schedule on your calendar, cellphone, or the journal of birth control injections given to you by your doctor.

In the meantime, you should use a condom when having sex with a partner for protection during sex. You need to do this until you can really determine when was the last time you had a birth control injection.

In fact, if you are still feeling doubtful and worried, it would be wise if you talk to your partner about postponing the routine of having sex until you have the next birth control injection at the obstetrician.

Then, if it turns out that you are indeed late for the birth control injection and have already had sex with your partner, one option you can do is to take emergency birth control pills. Yes, these pills can help you prevent pregnancy even if you take them after sex.

Use the emergency contraceptive pill after sexual intercourse to prevent pregnancy, up to 120 hours (5 days) after intercourse. The longer you delay taking emergency contraception, the greater your chances of pregnancy.

Although contraceptive pills are generally 99% able to prevent pregnancy, delaying the time to take emergency birth control pills when you are late for birth control injections will increase your chances of getting pregnant. If you are still unsure, consult a gynecologist immediately. Your doctor will help you choose a more appropriate course of action.

If you are two weeks or more late from the scheduled injection, your obstetrician or midwife will usually ask you to do a pregnancy test. This is done to determine whether you are pregnant or not.

What should be done so that the birth control injection is not too late?

So that you are not late for birth control injections, you have to make a smart tactic. There are a number of tips that you can practice so that you don't easily forget to take birth control injections, such as:

1. Mark your calendar so you are not late for birth control injections

Marking the calendar is the easiest way so you don't forget to schedule birth control shots, which could result in you being late for it. Use a marker or pen that is brightly colored, so that your eye will see the calendar. If you don't want to forget, mark the calendar that is displayed on your home or desk at work.

2. Install a reminder application

Nowadays, everything is very practical. If you are afraid that you will keep forgetting by bookmarking your calendar, you can set a reminder on your phone. There are already many free applications that you can download so that you are no longer late for birth control injections.

3. Always keep the birth control injection journal in a place that is easily visible

Keeping the birth control injection journal in a place that can be seen will help you remember the schedule for birth control injections. This of course also helps you not to be late for birth control injections. Generally, you put this journal in a dresser drawer and you rarely open it.

For easy viewing, place this journal by the side of your wardrobe or on the table next to your bed. If you can keep track of them and always check the schedule for birth control injections, you may not be late for birth control injections.

4. Tell your partner or family to remind you

Just in case, you can ask your partner to remind you. This really helps you not to be late for birth control injections, so that they can be routine and on time.