On some occasions, before carrying out an assisted reproduction technique, especially in vitro fertilisation, the gynaecologist prescribes a contraceptive pill from the first days of the period of the previous cycle. This will help us to schedule the treatment in a specific period, without being influenced by the woman's menstrual cycle, which is why it is even more important in patients with irregular cycles or amenorrhoeic bumps (with periods without periods), or who due to travel or commitments have to undergo treatment at a specific time, or also to help organise the centre and the laboratory, without peaks of high activity. Other times it will be necessary in the case of persistent functional cysts from the previous cycle, without having to wait for the next menstruation. In short, the aim is to leave the ovary at rest, which we will check by ultrasound and/or hormone analysis, in order to start hormonal medication for controlled ovarian stimulation.
In the event that the patient requires antibiotic treatment during this same period, due to a bacterial infection, it is common for the woman to have some concern about whether there is an interaction between the two medications that could harm their effectiveness in terms of her reproductive treatment. However, for most commonly used antibiotics, there is no solid scientific evidence to show a reduction in the efficacy of hormonal contraceptives, with one exception, rifamycin such as rifampicin or rifabutin, commonly used in the treatment of tuberculosis.
In any case, as I mentioned before, before starting the IVF cycle we will always check beforehand that it is the right time to start, so if the antibiotic has influenced the absorption of the contraceptives, we would detect it before starting the IVF cycle.
