What if Hormonal Birth Control Fails and Ovulation Occurs Anyway?

Question: What if Hormonal Birth Control Fails and Ovulation Occurs Anyway?

Answer: Even if ovulation and fertilization occur, there are three other ways that hormonal birth control can prevent pregnancy.

Two of these additional ways happen after ovulation occurs but before the egg is fertilized:

• Changes occur in the cervical mucus
• Decreased ability of fallopian tubes to move the egg toward the sperm

The final extra degree of protection happens post-fertilization and has to do with the uterine lining:

• Estrogen generally initiates the thickening of the lining of the uterus in the first part of a female's menstrual cycle
  
  
• Progesterone then triggers the lining to mature
  
  
• Since either one or both of these hormones are being continuously supplied by hormonal birth control, the lining does not have the opportunity to thicken enough to nurture a fertilized egg

This means that should you ovulate and an egg become fertilized, the effects of the hormones can make the lining of the uterus less receptive to implantation.

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