Many women are taking birth control pills in order for them not to stay pregnant. However, if the effect of these pills is to work, they need to be taken on a daily basis, regularly, as the instructions say. Yet, sometimes it happens that a woman forgets to take her pill one day. Then, she is often confused since she does not know whether the next pill will be effective or not or when to take the next pill for that matter.
Once You Forget To Take Your Pill...
The best possible choice is to seek medical advice. Your next step depends on the type of pill you are taking. There are pills which are only with estrogen and ones which are combined, containing estrogen and progestin. Also, there are solely progestin-based pills. If you are not sure about the type of pills you are currently taking, ask your doctor.
With combination pills, there is a chance that you might get pregnant once you miss a pill. However, this depends on the time you took your last pill and the number of pills you have missed. If you stop taking pills for more than a week, you will have increased chances of getting pregnant. So, always start the new pack on time and never forget to take the last couple of pills from the previous one. If you are planning on having sex during these seven days without pills, make sure you and your partner are using some of the alternative methods of contraception like a condom or diaphragm.
Also, you might use the morning after pill. This pill works even five days after the unprotected sex. Nevertheless, it is best to be taken the morning after.
When to Take the Pill
If you have missed a couple of pills from the beginning of the pack, make sure you drink the next ones regularly and take the forgotten one as soon as you remember. You can take two pills in one day. From your 3rd to your 21st day, if you forget to take a pill or two, do the same. However, if you happen to forget more than 3 pills during the first two weeks you will need to do the same as in previous cases and add a seven day backup contraception as well. If you have missed 3 or more pills in your third week, do not finish the pack, throw the remaining pills away and start the next pack, with the seventh day backup. Finally, if you forget to take your reminder pills in the fourth week, throw the remaining ones away and take the ones from the next pack at the regular time.
In case you have been taking the progestin-only pills and skipped one, take the pill as soon as you remember and take the next one at the usual time. Make sure you maintain taking the rest of the pills regularly. However, for the next 48 hours, use alternative means of contraception too.
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