Triphasil and Pregnancy

If a pregnant woman continues to take Triphasil, pregnancy problems could occur. Although studies show that serious complications are not likely to occur if the birth control pill is accidentally taken during early pregnancy, you should never take Triphasil intentionally while you are pregnant. If you are taking Triphasil and pregnancy occurs, you should stop taking the pill immediately.

 

An Overview of Taking Triphasil During Pregnancy

Triphasil® (levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol) is a prescription oral contraceptive (one of the many available versions of "the pill"). As with all birth control pills, you should not intentionally take Triphasil during pregnancy. Although it is unlikely for a woman to become pregnant if she takes Triphasil correctly, the risk of pregnancy increases significantly if Triphasil is not taken exactly as directed.
 
(Triphasil is equivalent to Enpresse® and Trivora® birth control pills. The information in this article also applies to both of these medications.)
 

Triphasil and Pregnancy Category X

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses a pregnancy category system to classify the possible risks to a fetus when a specific medicine is taken during pregnancy. Pregnancy Category X is given to medications that should not be used during pregnancy, usually due to serious problems such as birth defects or miscarriages. A Pregnancy Category X rating is the strongest indication that a medication should not be taken during pregnancy.
 
Although it is commonly believed that taking birth control pills during early pregnancy is very dangerous, the truth is that doing so is not likely to cause any serious problems, even though Triphasil is a pregnancy Category X medication. Large studies have shown no increased risk of birth defects when birth control pills were accidentally taken in early pregnancy. However, Triphasil should never be taken intentionally during pregnancy. It should not be used in an attempt to prevent or cause a miscarriage, as it is not effective for such uses. There is no good reason to take Triphasil during pregnancy.
 
If you miss your period while taking Triphasil, you may want to make sure you are not pregnant (an over-the-counter pregnancy test should be sufficient), especially if you have missed any of the pills. If you miss two periods in a row, you should definitely make sure you are not pregnant. Keep in mind that if you take Triphasil correctly (without missing any pills), the risk of pregnancy is quite low.
 
If you accidentally used Triphasil for a while before you realized you were pregnant, this probably will not cause any problems (although you should discuss this with your healthcare provider). If you are pregnant, you should stop using Triphasil right away. If you think you may be pregnant, you should contact your healthcare provider for further instructions.
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;