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Let’s face it, we all forget things sometimes. Here’s what to do if you’ve missed a contraceptive pill.
The combined pill and the progestogen-only pill (mini pill) are effective at preventing pregnancy but only if you remember to take them when you’re supposed to.
Everyone misses a pill from time to time. What’s important is that you know what to do next to make sure you are protected from pregnancy.
If you have forgotten to take your pill, what you do next will depend on:
You can use the Lowdown’s missed pill calculator to work out whether you are protected from pregnancy, if you need emergency contraception and when to take your next pill (it’s free but you will have to create an account).
Missing a pill can feel complicated. The information below is a guide as to what you should do but if you’re unsure, talk to a healthcare provider.
The advice below relates to many common brands of combined pills, including Microgynon, Rigevidon, Cilest, Yasmin, and Marvelon, but does not apply to Qlaira. If you use Qlaira, check your pill packet’s information or speak to a doctor or nurse.
Example: I usually take my pill at 5pm before dinner, but I forgot yesterday and only remembered when I was having breakfast at 8am today.
You’re still protected from pregnancy, so you don’t need extra contraception or emergency contraception (though you can use condoms if you want to for extra peace of mind).
Example: I usually take my pill at 5pm before dinner, but I forgot yesterday and today, and only remembered when I was brushing my teeth at 10pm.
You are still protected from pregnancy unless:
In these situations, if you have had sex in the last 7 days, you may need emergency contraception so it’s best to talk to a healthcare professional.
Generally, you do not need extra contraception if you’ve only missed one pill and it wasn’t in the first week and you’ve taken the pill correctly the 7 days before. But you may want to use condoms as extra protection and for peace of mind.
Example: I usually take my pill at 5pm before dinner, but I forgot yesterday and today, and only remembered when I was brushing my teeth before bed at 10pm today.
If you had unprotected sex in the last 7 days, you might need emergency contraception. This will depend on where you are in your pack and if you have taken the pill consistently for 7 days before this. Talk to a pharmacist, doctor, or sexual health clinic as soon as possible.
Depending on where you are in your pill pack when you forgot the pill/s, you might also have to start a new pack rather than take a week’s break:
It’s important to know which type of mini pill you use. It will either be:
Example: I usually take my pill at 5pm before dinner, but I forgot today and only remembered when I was doing the washing up at 7pm.
You are still protected against pregnancy, so you don’t need extra contraception or emergency contraception (though you can use condoms if you want to for extra peace of mind).
Example: I usually take my pill at 5pm before dinner, but I forgot today and only remembered when I was getting ready for bed at 10pm.
If you have had unprotected sex since the missed pill, you may need emergency contraception. Talk to a pharmacist, doctor, or sexual health clinic as soon as possible.
The more days you have forgotten your pill the more likely you will need emergency contraception if you’ve had sex around this time.
Emergency contraception can prevent pregnancy up to five days after unprotected sex – the sooner you use emergency contraception, the more effective it is so it’s important to talk to a medical professional, visit a sexual health clinic or pharmacy as soon as possible.
If you think that you might be pregnant, you will need to wait at least three weeks after the time you had sex or a week after your missed period to take a pregnancy test. Taking a test earlier than this may not give you an accurate result.
Using emergency contraception or restarting on regular contraception will not stop a pregnancy if it has already happened.
If you are worried, you should contact your local sexual health service or doctor as soon as possible. They will be able to help you with taking a pregnancy test and can also support you with making decisions about continuing a pregnancy.
Once you’ve got things back on track, it’s worth having a think about your method and if it’s the right one for you at the moment. It’s really important that you choose a method that you will be able to follow.
It’s normal to make mistakes and forget occasionally, but there are things you can do to help you.
advice
If you’re forgetting pills more than on the odd occasion, you won’t be effectively protected from pregnancy and it might be that a different method would work better for you.
LARC (long-acting reversible contraception) methods can last up to 10 years. These include the hormonal coil, copper coil, implant and injection. These are the most effective methods at preventing pregnancy as they don’t rely on you remembering to take/use contraception other than simply going for an appointment every few months or years.Barrier methods like condoms or internal condoms can be used alongside the pill to provide extra protection.
If you’re on the combined pill and struggle to remember to take it on time, the patch or ring might be better options for you. These contain the same hormones as the pill but instead of using them daily, you use them for one week (patch) or three weeks (ring) at a time before you then replace with another one.
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