I forgot to take my birth control pill: what now?
Oops, you just found out that you forgot to take the pill one or multiple days, or that your pill-free week didn’t last seven days but eight... Trust us, you are not alone. So, what to do? At Cycle we saw a lot of these kinds of questions so we decided to make an overview of the most common situations and what to do next.
what you have to do depends on a couple of things
How many pills you’ve missed (you missed a pill if more than 24 hours have passed since you should’ve taken it).
When did you miss the pill (where in the strip you are).
The type of pill that you take.
If you take a combination pill such as Microgynon, Zoely, Lovette, Yaz, and Yasmin then the following basic rules apply. For a pill with only progesterone like the mini pill, Cerazette, different advice applies! You can find it here.
I forgot to take one pill, what now?
Brain fog made you forget one pill? No panic! If 24 hours haven’t passed yet, you are still protected against pregnancy.
What to do:
Take the pill that you forgot, even if it means you have to take two of these units.
Finish the strip in the prescribed way. If you are in your last week (week three) you can also decide to start your pill-free week a little early.
There’s no need to take extra methods against pregnancy.
If you have forgotten the pill after the 24-hour limit, then you are no longer protected and you will have to use extra precautionary methods like a condom for the next seven days. Did you have sex in the first five days after the pill-free week and before forgetting to take the pill without a condom? Then there is the risk of getting pregnant and we advise you to take an emergency contraceptive, like the morning-after pill.
What if I have forgotten two or more pills back-to-back?
Once you’ve missed two pills, then you may no longer be properly protected against pregnancy.
What to do:
Take the last pill you’ve missed as soon as possible, even if that means you have to take two pills in one day.
Don’t take the other pills you’ve missed.
Finish the strip as usual.
Use extra protection during the next seven days, for example a condom.
If your period is not as heavy or you get no period at all during your pill-free week, we recommend taking a pregnancy test.
Furthermore, the following applies:
If there are seven or more pills left in the strip after the last missed pill, finish the strip and do the pill-free week of seven days. Only start a new strip after.
If there are less than seven pills left in the strip after the last missed pill, finish the strip and immediately continue with a new strip. You will skip your pill-free week.
But pay attention! Have you missed more than two pills in the first week of your strip and you had unprotected sex in the previous seven days, then we advise you to take an emergency contraceptive like the morning-after pill.
It’s good to know that taking a few of the pills from your strip at the same time is not the same thing, nor comparable to taking the morning-after pill. So please, don’t do this.
I took my first pill 24 hours too late after my pill-free week.
Did your pill-free week fly by and you started your strip more than 24 hours too late? Then you are no longer properly protected against pregnancy. Use a condom for the next seven days as extra contraceptive. Did you have unprotected sex in the first five days after the pill-free week and before you forgot to take the pill? Then there is the risk of getting pregnant and we advise you to take an emergency contraceptive, like the morning-after pill or placing a copper IUD.
Do you want to know more about the morning-after pill? Read everything you need to know here.
Are you looking for reliable, ultrathin, vegan condoms which also smell nice? Check out the Yes condoms.
What if you (just) don’t know anymore?
If you don’t know what to do anymore, just stick to these basic rules:
Take your pill as soon as you found out that you forgot to take it.
Use extra protection, for example a condom.
Call your GP as soon as possible to receive advice.
What should I do when I’ve thrown up or have diarrhea? Is the pill still reliable?
If you’ve thrown up/suffer from a bad case of diarrhea within four hours of taking the pill then there is the possibility that you are no longer properly protected against pregnancy. The pill did not get enough time to start working properly and will be less reliable. So, if this is the case, it is wise to think of this pill as a ‘forgotten pill’.
Some medicine, but also some herbs and supplements can also influence the reliability of the pill. One example is St. John’s wort. Bottom line, don’t combine things on your own accord, but discuss it beforehand with your GP and/or your pharmacist.
More importantly, this advice only works if you’ve consistently taken your pill for a longer time period than one month.
tips to make sure you don’t forget to take the pill:
It’s smart to take the pill during an activity you do every day around the same time. For example, you take the pill after you’re done brushing your teeth.
Always keep the pill strip in clear sight. This could mean on your nightstand, in your bathroom cabinet, next to your toothbrush...
If you are traveling or you stay somewhere else sometimes, it’s smart to put an extra strip in your make-up bag or handbag.
Set an alarm in your phone which sends you a reminder every day!
It has happened to every single one of us, that oops moment when you realize that you forgot to take the pill. We are with you! But do you have a tendency to forget the pill? In that case it might not be the best solution for you. Perhaps you can look into different options, like a copper or hormone IUD like the Kyleena or the Mirena, or a birth control implant. Check out this article for every option, explanations and the pros-and-cons!
