If you take your birth control pill at 5 p.m. on Monday, what time should you take your next pill on Tuesday? Do all oral contraceptives consist of the same hormone mix?
These questions and more are answered in a new video hosted by Shay Mitchell, called BC Trivia. Tune in, and you’ll learn that oral contraceptives should be taken at the same time every day, and that the hormone levels in different types of birth control pills vary.
Mitchell is best known for being a Pretty Little Liar, but she also believes that it’s time women got honest about birth control and got over any discomfort talking about it. So she’s partnered with Allergan for the company’s new Know Your Birth Control campaign, helping to separate fiction from fact when it comes to pregnancy protection.
She tells Health that she was lucky to grow up with parents who didn’t keep birth control information hidden. “I was raised in a household where it was very open and comfortable and a safe spot for me to have these conversations with my parents and at the appropriate time—they brought me to my healthcare provider, where I had further questions and I had further conversations,” says Mitchell. “But they wanted me to be confident in the decision I was making and the choice that I had.”
Learning the facts is one thing; navigating contraception etiquette is another. Who in the relationship is responsible for providing birth control? Do you take the pill or get an IUD? Is he carrying a condom? Before you and your partner make these and other decisions, Mitchell advises that it’s important to know what works best for you.
“I think every relationship is unique in its own,” she says. “You don’t want to mess around when it comes to your reproductive organs, so it’s something you really want to be educated on in the right way. Knowledge is power—especially when it comes to this and your body.”
If you’ve ever found yourself in an uncomfortable birth control–related situation, or felt pressured to do something with a partner you weren’t cool with, Mitchell says to listen to your inner voice.
“I think you always have to be true to yourself,” she says. “You have a voice inside you, I think you follow that. That’s really what it comes down to, is feeling comfortable with yourself. And again, I think you feel more comfortable and confident when you have the information that’s necessary to know to take those steps.”
From the birth control pill to IUDs to the hormonal implant, it’s easy to find a reliable method that works best for you. As Mitchell says, engaging in open conversations with your partner and your doctor will clear up any questions and make you feel secure when it comes to your sexual health.
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