The INFO Project Blog

In the upcoming issue of the US edition of Marie Claire, singer Christina Aguilera shows off her belly and reveals that the pregnancy happened sooner than she and her husband planned. From an AP story about the cover story it appears she has some misconceptions about their new conception (sorry).

I had gone off the Pill to prepare my body, because I didn’t know how much time it would take. You’ve heard it takes some time — except with Power Egg and Super Sperm here,” she says. “… I’m like, `Oh my god, can you believe it just happened?’”

Well, Christina, don’t flatter yourself too much.

As program specialist Megan O’Brien pointed out when she read this inaccurate statement, this is a perfect time to dispel myths about contraception. Neither combined oral contraceptives (COCs) nor progestin-only pills (POPs) delay a return to fertility after stopping use–any more than stopping use of non-hormonal methods like condoms.

In fact, taking a “rest” can lead to unintended pregnancy, as Aguilera and her husband have discovered during the Dirrty singer’s Back to Basics tour.

Someone give the girl a copy of INFO’s new guide, Family Planning: A Global Handbook for Providers, which features this very pertinent information on page 22, in Questions and Answers About Combined Oral Contraceptives, and on page 42, in Questions and Answers about Progestin-Only Pills.

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