The first episode of Season 1, Joan sends Peggy to the OB/GYN and she gets the pill. Not sure if she didn't take it right or not long enough, but obviously didn't work too well in her case.

Thanks, welchpeeps, I've got to go back and review that episode.

I posted a whole thing about birth control pills in the Open Thread. The first pill came out in 1961, and you had to "know" a doctor that would give them to you. They started being regularly prescribed about 1963-64.

The were triple the strength that they are right now, but you had to take them on the dot the same time every day. Peggy may have missed one, or didn't wait long enough for them to be in effect, which, if I remember my history, was about a week or two to be "safe". Remember, they didn't know what they know now and they become less effective if you are taking antibiotics or other pills...so who knows. And they have never been 100% guaranteed. I believe at the time they were considered 98% effective, so God help that 2 percent.

.....ras, I love ya' to death, but should you be the author of this thread?

And.....I think you are quite handsome and distinguished, but I'd say Joan is the one fully qualified to be "ya'll's" captain's courageous, there.....

There were all kinds of emotions there.....just not sure you should be the navigator.

Just sayin'.....

When Peggy went to the dr. and got on the pill he never once told her to use extra protection the first month. That's why she got pregnant and was in denial about it. That dr. was more intersted in being judgemental about her decision to have sex without being married instead being careful not to get pregnant.

@zabadu

Thanks for the precise info!

@Dry Manhattan

Oh, don't be prudish, kiddo! (-:

Actually, it's like this: I am a bit of a historian on the 1960's, and no aspect of that decade isn't of interest to me. My interest in this subject is that of an historian's, not of a raincoat lecher's. I want to savor all the implications and nuances of MM.

(-:

Hi everyone!

The first BC pills in the 60s had much higher levels of hormones in them. Women experienced a lot of side effects as a result. Some were just annoying like water weight gain, some were deadly like the development of bllod clots. Because women back then smoked a lot more, these deadly side effects were more common.
Today's BC pills have lower doses of hormones, but can still cause side effects.
When you think about it, birth control methods still haven't changed much. Most of the responsibilty to prevent pregnancy still falls on the woman's shoulders.
The rise in the use of condoms has only occured because of the rise in STDs, esp. HIV.

As far as Peggy, we still don't know if she got her prescription for the pill filled. Or, if she started taking them and stopped because of side effects.
I also know of cases where women have taken the pill regularly, and still became pregnant. That is why they are considered 99% effective (there's always that 1% chance of failure).

It is frustrating to type on this board with the delay.

As soon as Burger Boy said he didn't have a rubber, my husband said "well they could do other things." So we both laughted when Peggy said the same thing.

Thne I said "why doens't she get and stay on the pill, I thought that Joan took her to a doctor to get her on the pill."

I understand that she was probably not on it long enough the first time, but why doesn't she get on it now?

The Pill was such a revolution.

The Pill has side effects -- and remember, oral contraceptives are not a preventative for STDs.

Maybe she stopped taking the Pill for personal easons -- or maybe she's taking the Pill and wanted protection from VD, hence the condom request.

.....ras.....You're right! Thanks for making me laugh. Still, there is a little irony there!

As to Peggy, I believe she WAS on the pill when she and Pete had their moment, but evidently wasn't on it long enough, or somehow conceived anyway.

After her traumatic experience, it's not a surprise that she would be leery of not being completely protected, particularly since I didn't get any vibes from her that she had any kind of serious feelings for Burger Boy.

I'd be interested in hearing from those who know in regard to the actual effectiveness of Enovid at that time.

Title: A field trial on Lyndiol and Enovid.

POPLINE Document Number: 630083

Author(s): Swaab LI

Source citation: In: Proceedings of the Seventh Conference of IPPF. Amsterdam, Excerpta Medica, 1963. (International Congress Series No. 72.) p. 369-372

Enovid (5 mg) and Lyndiol were given in a double-blind study to 500 women for 1 year; each women took each kind of pill for 6 months. One pregnancy occurred in a woman who missed 4 Enovid tablets. 3 out of 4 women who stopped the pill to become pregnant conceived within 1 month. Dropouts due to side effects were 6% for each pill, with psychic complaints occurring as frequently as organic complaints. There were no abnormalities in bilirubin or liver function tests. Recurrent breakthrough bleeding was seen only with Enovid (40%). Amenorrhea occurred in 9.7% of Lyndiol cycles and 3.4% of Enovid cycles. The differences between the 2 pills are discussed.

zabadu - are you a medical librarian? How many posters here know how to search Popline?

I can't divulge all of my secrets!!

AHIP, emeritus status now - retired unless somebody makes me an offer, lol.

rasputin, it was also true that many people did not "go all the way" in the early 60s. They made it a habit to "do other things." Besides the fear of pregnancy, a girl who went all the way was at risk of losing the guy's respect. That's what I heard my older sisters talking about at that time. The sentence I remember, "If you go all the way with him, how does he know you didn't do it with someone else?"

Peggy was likely not on the pill at this time because she hasn't been with any men since Pete. The stop at the tavern/bar/restaurant was spontaneous. She'll probably go back on the pill now that she has decided to explore.

Watch the film Prudence and The Pill. Peggy probably would not have been using the pill if Joan didn't send her to the doctor. Peggy getting pregnant is really not too believable even if she just started taking the pill because the doses back then were high and it would have acted as a morining after pill. Condoms would not be used in general and I've never heard of a female getting pregnant so apparently they were using some form of birth control, probably a diaphragm, pill, or IUD.Abortions were put down as a D&C by physicians or a female with money could go to a place where it was legal. If a female wasn't too well off she could still get an illegal abortion and contrary to feminist propaganda these were done by qualified people.People were very careful because if a woman died from an abortion they could be charged with Murder and of course antibiotics were freely available and used.

Not sure I want to argue with zabadu who seems authoritative, but in that first episode of "Mad Men" when Peggy gets on the pill, it is clearly early 1960. (I remember being struck by the March 1960 calendar on the wall in the doc's office, and thinking, "Eisenhower was still president then.") I know this show has made some anachronistic choices from time to time, but I also know that Enovid--the first BC, right?--was put through trials in the late 1950s and I thought that it did actually become available to the public for the first time in 1960, rather than 1961. Correct me if I'm wrong. (In which case, so were Weiner & company, right out of the box.)