Body & Mind

This is especially what you should not do if you forgot to take the pill

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The pill helps millions of women avoid unwanted pregnancies. But what if you forget to take it?

It happens to everyone sometimes. It's also so annoying to remember to take that little pill with a sip of water every day. And as we humans are, we forget these little things. Oops.

But what should you do if you're, let's say, not planning to be puffing nine months later?

If you've forgotten the pill:

  • Did you have sex anyway? Use extra protection. If you have breakthrough bleeding and suspect that the pill may be less effective, use additional contraceptive methods, such as condoms, to prevent pregnancy.
  • Many women make this mistake. Do not take a double dose. If you've forgotten multiple pills, do not take two or three at once to catch up. This can actually increase the risk of breakthrough bleeding.

And that is the lesson you've learned today: don't just take triple pills if you've forgotten it (for a few days). Just finish your strip. Have you forgotten more than two? Take the last of the two pills you forgot as soon as possible. Do this within 12 hours after the normal time for taking that 2nd pill and then you are still protected against pregnancy. The opposite is also true. If you've forgotten a pill, do not stop taking the rest of the pills in your strip. This can reduce your protection against pregnancy and cause unwanted breakthrough bleeding. So just continue as you always would: always finish that strip.

There is one exception: the first pill after the break week must be taken within 24 hours after your regular time for taking it, otherwise you are not protected. Take the first pill as soon as possible, at the same time or on the same day as the next pill. If you've taken the pill for 7 consecutive days again, then you are protected from then on. Complicated, huh? We think so too. Don't worry too quickly: it usually works out fine. Only if you forget multiple pills in that first week after your period, it's a bit extra careful. Otherwise, just call your doctor for some advice, that can never hurt.