It can be hard to remember to take a pill every day! Here are some guidelines if you do forget:
Week 1 of the pack: Take one missed pill as soon as possible and the pill for today at the regular time. You may be taking two pills at the same time. Take Emergency Contraception (the Morning After Pill) if you have had unprotected sex in the past 5 days. Use a back up method of birth control for one week.
Weeks 2 or 3 of the pack: Take one missed pill as soon as possible and the pill for today at the regular time. You may be taking two pills at the same time. If you have missed 2-3 or more pills, take Emergency Contraception (the Morning After Pill) if you have had unprotected sex in the past 5 days. Use a back up method of birth control for one week. Keep taking one pill everyday and skip the last week of pills (when you would have your period) start a new pack of pills instead.
It’s always a great idea to use a back up method if you are sexually active. Not only do condoms reduce the risk of pregnancy, but they protect against the transmission of many STIs. If you find that taking a pill every day is challenging, it would be worth looking into a birth control methed that you don’t have to remember as frequently, like the patch, the ring, the shot, IUDs or Implanon.
