Does It Matter If You Take Birth Control Pills Out Of Order

I Missed a Nativity Command Pill (or Ii). What Should I Do?

Woman's hands holding a contraceptive pill.

I accept birth command pills. I took an agile white pill two days ago. I accidentally skipped a pill yesterday. Is that OK? How should I proceed?

-Beach Girl

We oft become questions at HealthCentral from people who have accidentally taken their birth command pills incorrectly; luckily, at that place are guidelines to help you get back on track and stay protected.

Nascency control pills are packaged for you lot to accept 1 pill each 24-hour interval for either 21 or 28 days in a row. The two main types of pills are:

Combination pills: These pills contain both estrogen and progestin, are the most mutual blazon of birth command pills used, according to Planned Parenthood. You lot take pills containing these hormones for 21 days. In 28-day packages, there are vii inactive, or placebo, pills which do not have any hormones. These are included to help you stay in the habit of taking a daily pill and to remind you when to start the next packet.
Progestin-only pills: These pills come in packages of 28 pills. Each pill contains hormones, and you must take these pills within a three-hour window each 24-hour interval; for instance, if you lot take it at 7 a.1000. 1 mean solar day, you have until x a.m. the side by side twenty-four hour period to take the next pill to remain protected from unintended pregnancy. When taking progestin-but pills, there is no break between cycles. You continue taking one pill every solar day.

To maintain consistent protection from pregnancy, it is important to take your nascence control pills as directed. But, sometimes, you might forget to accept a pill (or ii) or first your pack late. What yous should do when that happens depends on what blazon of pill you use (combination or progestin-merely) and when during the month you missed the pill.

What to do if y'all skip combination pills

If you miss ane pill

If you missed one pill or are late starting your package past i 24-hour interval, you lot should take the missed pill as soon every bit you realize you forgot it, fifty-fifty if that means taking 2 pills in i day. You can then continue to accept the remaining pills co-ordinate to your original schedule. When one pill is missed, y'all should not need to use backup birth control or take emergency contraception (EC). Nevertheless, you might consider using EC if your missed pill was either very early in the cycle or within the last week of the previous cycle, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

If you miss 2 pills

If you missed ii pills in a row, y'all should accept ane pill as soon as you lot realize you take missed ane, even if that ways taking ii pills in one day. You lot should discard the second missed pill. Then, go along taking the residual of the pills on your regular schedule.

If you missed two pills in the 3rd week of hormonal pills (days 15 through 21), the CDC suggests that you go along taking the remainder of the pills but that yous skip the inactive pills or the week in betwixt pill packages and immediately outset the next cycle of pills.

If you take gone 48 hours without taking a pill, you should abstain from intercourse or use a fill-in nativity command method until you accept taken a pill for seven days in a row. You might consider using EC if the pills you missed were in the get-go of the bike and you lot had unprotected sexual activity.

The hazard of an unintended pregnancy is greatest if you miss pills in the offset of the pack (starting your pack late) or at the end of the active pills, according to the Academy of California - Davis. Missing inactive pills volition not cause whatever bug. If you missed these pills, you can safely discard them and skip the day without taking any additional precautions.

What to do if you skip progestin-just pills

When you lot miss a progestin-only birth command pill, you lot should have the missed pill as soon as you realize you lot missed information technology. And then you should continue taking your pills as directed.

If you take progestin-just pills and yous get menstrual periods, you should abstain from intercourse or employ backup contraception for the adjacent two days. Yous might consider EC if you have had unprotected sexual practice in the v days prior to missing a pill, according to Cornell Academy Health.

How will missing pills bear upon your period?

Sometimes, missing a pill or 2 tin cause your period to offset early on, or it may cause you to spot or exist lightre than usual, according to Planned Parenthood. Regardless of these menstrual changes, it's important to follow the guidelines to a higher place to ensure y'all stay protected against pregnancy. When you miss pills, it's normal for your period to be thrown off for the next month or so, but once you lot get back on rails, things should return to normal.

Other options

If you routinely miss taking birth control pills, you may want to talk to your medical provider well-nigh other methods of birth control that do not require you lot to call up taking pills each day, such as the IUD or vaginal ring. Additionally, Planned Parenthood offers a missed pill tool that allows you to answer questions regarding your prescription, when you missed the pill, and how many pills y'all have missed and and then provides you lot with information on what you lot should practise.

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You should know: The answer above provides full general health information that is not intended to replace medical advice or handling recommendations from a qualified healthcare professional.

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