Is It Safe for My Baby? - Birth Control Pills/Oral Contraceptives

(containing various combinations of estrogen and progestin, such as Alesse®, Marvelon®, Ortho 7/7/7®, Tri-cyclen®, Triphasil®)

Risks During Pregnancy

There is no increased risk of birth defects should you get pregnant while taking currently available birth control pills.

Recommendations During Pregnancy

Once you know you are pregnant, stop taking the pills and check with your doctor.

Risks During Breastfeeding

The hormones in birth control pills pass into the breast milk, but have not been found to affect the baby.
The estrogen in the pills may reduce the amount and quality of breast milk you produce. If your baby is not getting enough milk, the baby may also not be getting enough nutrients, nor gaining a healthy amount of weight.

Recommendations During Breastfeeding

If you want to start birth control pills while breastfeeding, try and wait until your milk supply is well established and the baby is putting on the expected amount of weight. This is usually about six weeks after birth. You may want to consider other means of birth control. Discuss these issues with your doctor.
Check with your doctor or lactation consultant to see if you will need to give the baby formula, as well as breast milk.