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During the holidays, people are often consumed with tasks that they need to carry out. For example, during Christmas time, people might be out all day buying presents, groceries and whatever the house needs for the festivities. Furthermore, people who host parties might be even more stressed about getting everything ready in time for family and friends. Due to the fact that these tasks take up the majority of people's time, researchers decided to study how that affects women's adherence to their birth control pill. The findings from a new survey revealed that during Christmas time, over 50 percent of women risk getting pregnant due to many factors.

For this study, the researchers from LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor interviewed around 2,000 women about their birth control pills. The researchers found that 51 percent of women admitted that they forgot to take their birth control pill. These women either purchased the morning after emergency contraceptive option or risked having an unplanned pregnancy. 13 percent of women stated that they purchased emergency contraception with one in 14 of them stating that they did so after an office holiday party. One in six females reported forgetting their pill due to alcohol intoxication while one in seven stated that they forgot due to the hectic atmosphere of the holidays.

The survey also reveled that one in six women did not take their pills for several days because they could not get a repeat prescription with one in three women stating that finding a doctor or nurse around Christmas time was difficult. 28 percent of the participants stated that they went away for the holidays and did not pack their birth control pills.

"We often see peaks in our contraceptive services after the weekend but during November and December as the party season gets underway, there is a clear and significant uplift in orders," stated Dr. Tom Brett, the Medical Director for LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor. "The combination of an increased need for contraceptive services with reduced hours at local GP surgeries over the festive holiday period can leave some women wondering where to go as many might not be aware that it is possible to seek this sort of help online."