Antibiotics & Birth Control: Impact on Effectiveness - Expert Advice

Question
I have been on Ortho Tri-Cyclen for 7 years. On April 15, I took only ONE Sulfa/Trimeth antibiotic and 3 days worth of Cipro antibiotics for a UTI. I read in an article that the Cipro was not proven to lower the effectiveness of birth control, but the Sulfa/Trimeth could....since I only took 1 of those pills, do you think I will be ok to not get pregnant from that? I had sex twice, and we used the "pull out" method.  Thanks

Answer
Dear Lori,

More than likely, you will be ok, since you also used withdrawal - depending on when you ovulated. But be aware that pre-ejaculate (the little bit of semen that seeps out prior to ejaculation) can actually contain a high concentration of sperm cells. If you want to be extra sure that you don't conceive, you should use a back-up method such as condoms for the rest of this cycle.

Hope that helps you and answers your question. Be well!

Brenda