posted
Just wanted to clear something up. What is considered missed and what is considered late? Is a late pill one that is taken 12 hours after the time it was supposed to be taken? And is missed a pill one that is taken 24 later than it should be?
I took my pill just over 4 hours late tonight (alesse) and that is my only form of birth control. I have had sex recently. I am wondering if I need to be backing up because of this for the rest of the pack or taking EC as this is also the week of ovulation.
If it was just 4 hours, would a late pill be considered one I would take after 12 hours from the time I would normally take my pill (I usually take it at 6pm so 6am would be late) or a missed pill would be me taking the pill i was supposed to take earlier today sometime tomorrow evening? I am confused. And how much would all of this change the effectiveness? Help
posted
If you are taking a combined pill (rather than the mini pill), then you do not have to consider a pill late until it has been more than 12 hours since your pill time. A missed pill would be a pill that you completely forgot and never took at all.
To consider yourself a perfect pill user and to keep the hormone level as constant in your body as possible, you'll want to make sure that you take it within a three hour window every day.
A pill taken 4 hours after your pill time is not late and no reason to worry. Also, if you are taking the pill correctly, you should not be ovulating: one of the ways the pill works is by suppressing ovulation.
The perfect use rate of the pill is over 99%, however, you want to figure that that is really only possible in lab settings where all factors can be completely controlled. In real life, it's probably a bit less than that. But if you are a perfect user (taking your pills at the same time of day, every day, with no late or missed pills and nothing that could compromise protection), you're likely fairly close to those 99%.
If you've missed a pill in your cycle, or sometimes take the pill a little later, you can figure that you're probably closer to the typical use rate of protection, which is still 92%.
If you're ever concerned that your protection might be compromised, or you just don't feel safe using the pill alone, the best thing you can do is to back up with condoms. That's always a smart idea, anyway, as the condom also offers STI protection.
-------------------- Johanna Scarleteen Volunteer
"The question is not who will let me, but who is going to stop me." -Ayn Rand Posts: 9192 | From: Cologne, Germany | Registered: Sep 2005
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posted
Thankyou so much for the reply. 4 hours is the latest I have taken my BC, I was a worried because during placebo week I was taking antibiotics and if it stays in your system after use, I was afraid maybe it would have affected my first active pill or 2. So I could have a missed pill and a slightly late one this pack which could be cause for ovulation?? I actually don't know.
As long as this doesn't seem like a reason to take EC as I know it is very hard on the body... But then again I don't know what the EC would stop now if ovulation should be happening this week? I just know I would have to act pretty fast.
posted
So you were off the antibiotics by the time you started the new pack? If so, you're just fine. For future reference, though: not all antibiotics affect the pill, so next time you take an antibiotic (or any medication), you'll want to ask the prescribing doctor or your pharmacist whether there is any possibility for interaction with oral contraceptives. And if there is, you'll want to abstain from types of sex that can pose a pregnancy risk, or back up with condoms.
And again, 4 hours after your pill time is not late.
So, sounds like you're a pretty perfect pill user. But of course, if the pill alone does make you feel safe enough, backing up with condoms is a great idea.
[ 03-13-2013, 03:17 PM: Message edited by: September ]
-------------------- Johanna Scarleteen Volunteer
"The question is not who will let me, but who is going to stop me." -Ayn Rand Posts: 9192 | From: Cologne, Germany | Registered: Sep 2005
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posted
My last antibiotic was on the last day of my sugar pill and I think it was amoxicillin. The pharmacist said there would be an interaction and I abstained from sex during and seven days after the end of the medication. Seven days after the medication would be a full first week of my new pill pack and then after those seven days I went back to relying on my BC as the only form of birth control.
Thankyou for your help. I am not going to take EC as it seems like it would be a waste and I dont want to throw my cycle off again.
Posts: 104 | Registered: Dec 2005
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posted
Sounds like you did everything right, then.
Glad we could help.
-------------------- Johanna Scarleteen Volunteer
"The question is not who will let me, but who is going to stop me." -Ayn Rand Posts: 9192 | From: Cologne, Germany | Registered: Sep 2005
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