What's in Your Medicine Cabinet?

Unintended pregnancy is a huge dilemma that affects thousands of people every year. In the US, 50% of all pregnancies are not intended. The surprising fact is that of these women who are facing unplanned pregnancies, about half of them were actually using birth control the month that they conceived!

Statistics like these show how important it is to understand the birth control method you have chosen and to make sure you know about potential risks and medications that could lower the effectiveness of your contraception.

This is especially true for women who use hormonal contraception, like the Pill, the NuvaRing, or the Ortho Evra Patch. Given that today's hormonal contraceptives contain lower doses of hormones, less side effects, are easy to use and are extremely effective, many women chose these methods of contraception.

If you find yourself needing to use one of these products, knowing what could possibly cause a drug interaction can prompt you to use a back-up method and check with your doctor to increase your success rates with using these contraceptives.

• Make Sure You Know: Medications that Lower Hormonal Contraception Effectiveness

_{Photo © 2012 Dawn Stacey}