Can You Get Pregnant if You Miss One Pill? Birth control pills are highly effective when used as directed. In fact, for the combination pill, the failure rate is roughly 1% to 2% each year. This breaks down to about 1 to 2 pregnancies per 100 women. If you are wondering can you get pregnant if you miss one pill, your chances of this happening is based largely around your routine pill taking habits. You risk of pregnancy on the pill depends on when you missed your pill during your cycle, the amount of pills you have missed in a row and if unprotected sex occurred around the time that your pill was missed. Does this give you a definite answer to can you get pregnant if you miss one pill? Not exactly but it does give you a better idea what your odds are. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor if you have missed one or more pills. You will also have instructions for use included with your prescription that will explain what to do. Are Birth Control Pills Safe? One reason that birth control pills are so popular is that they are safe for most women. Are birth control pills safe for smokers? That’s a whole different story. Generally speaking, smoking and birth control pills shouldn’t be combined. If you smoke, never hide this from your doctor as you could be setting yourself up for some potential serious issues. If you are over 35, smoke and are asking are birth control pills safe, the answer is no. You may experience heart attack, stroke or a variety of other serious issues. What Does Birth Control Do? Birth control pills are actually pretty amazing. What does birth control do? Typically birth control pills contain estrogen and progestin (if taking the combination pill). These two hormones make the body stop ovulating, which means no egg is released. Additionally cervical mucus becomes thicker so it’s harder for sperm to entire the uterus just in case and egg has been released. The lining of the uterus changes as well which makes it harder for an egg to attach.