“Better to be safe than pregnant.”

That might be our new fav phrase, and it came from Dr. Sophia Yen, MD MPH (she / her), the CEO and co-founder of Pandia Health. The doctor-led company lets you order birth control from the comfort of your couch and was created for those who suffer from “pill anxiety,” aka the fear of running out of BC at the last sec.

Read on to see our rapid-fire round of myths vs. facts about different birth control methods. (And whether our current med is really the culprit of our monthly mood swings.)

T/F: Birth control makes you gain weight.
Research shows it doesn’t. However, each woman is different, and if you gain weight on it, know that there are 40 different pills and at least 8 different progestins. So make sure you know which progestin you are on so that you can tell your doctor which one is possibly causing weight gain.

T/F: Birth control affects your sex drive.
There are 8 different progestins and they can definitely affect your sex drive. Some will increase it, some will decrease it, and some will make no difference.

T/F: Birth control messes with your hormones.
Birth control mimics pregnancy. But being on birth control stops the ups and downs of daily hormones and actually smooths it out (assuming you are on a monophasic vs. triphasic pill).

T/F: You have to take the birth control pill at the same time every day or it won’t work.
Yes. Though the combined birth control pill (estrogen and progestin) is far more forgiving (with its + / – 10-hour window) than the progestin-only pill. With the progestin-only pill, if you are late by 3 hours and have had sex in the past 3 days, then you need to take emergency contraception if you don’t want to be pregnant. Then you have to use backup for the next 3 days if you intend to have sex during that time.

T/F: The birth control shot makes your bones weaker.
Yes. It has been shown to decrease your bone mineral density while you are on it. But it goes back to normal after 3-5 years of being off it. The risk to your bones of an unplanned pregnancy is greater than the risk of the birth control shot.

T/F: A birth control ring can get lost up there.
No. The vagina is a dead end, so it won’t go anywhere. But it can be hard to get it out. If you have problems, go to urgent care, the ER, or see your doctor depending on how urgent it is.

T/F: Checking your temperature every day counts as an accurate birth control method.
It’s definitely a method. But it’s not as effective as condoms, spermicide, any of the hormonal methods, or the copper IUD. It’s probably best done when combined with condoms, spermicide, and knowing your fertile days and cervical mucus.

T/F: If I miss the birth control pill for a few days, I can take 2 or 3 at once and it will still be effective in preventing pregnancy.
If you miss 1, take it ASAP. If you miss 2, take 2 today and 2 tomorrow. If you miss 3 and had sex in the past 5 days, you should use a backup method for the next week as well as an emergency contraception (I suggest Ella).

T/F: Taking 2 birth control pills is the same as Plan B.
No! The most effective emergency contraception is the copper IUD, then the hormonal IUD, then Ella, then Plan B, and then taking 4 birth control pills now and again in 12 hours, but that is the least effective and only works if your pills have levonorgestrel or norgestrel. Always google the dosage because sometimes it takes even more pills to work. So generally, don’t do it unless you can’t access the other options.

T/F: My partner can feel my IUD during sex.
They can’t feel the IUD, but they might feel the strings, though that’s rare. They’re more likely to feel the strings if they use their fingers, but they should not, I repeat, should not pull on the strings.