Birth control effective

[Kaayaj11]

I've heard a couple different timings as to when birth control is effective. Is it one month or 7 days? I've been on birth control for about 6 plus months. Last month I switched from Gildess 1/20 to Sprintec. When switching to Sprintec I decided I wanted to change the start date of my pack to change my period due to an upcoming occasion. I normally start my next pack on a Monday which is the last day of my period but I started on Wednesday this time. I waited about 2 weeks to have sex. Would I be protected?

[Stephanie]

We generally will say that you want to wait a full month just to be on the safe side when starting the pill for the first time. If just switching brands, unless your prescribing physician suggested otherwise, this won't be any different than when you go from one months' pack to the next.

[Kaayaj11]

It isn't my first time on birth control pills. But I decided to start my pack a couple days later than usual and waited about 2 weeks to have imtercourse. I've just heard some doctors say wait a week and some say a month. How come it isn't just one of those. A bit confusing.

[Sam W]

Hi Kaaya,

To quote from this article: Combined Oral Contraceptives (The Pill)

"When you first start the pill, when it will be fully effective depends both on when you start it, as well as your own body chemistry. For most people who start the pill either on the first day of their period or the first Sunday after a period, any brand of combination pill will likely be effective after seven days of use, but here at Scarleteen, as many other credible sources suggest, we advise users to give their pills one full cycle before going without a backup to play it safe."

And really, we encourage people to keep using condoms even after the pill is at full effect, just because it adds another layer of protection against pregnancy and STIs.

[Redskies]

Kaaya11, I think you were saying that you were continuing with taking the pill, switched brand, but you started taking a new pack two days late?

Starting taking your new pack two days late means that you missed the first two pills of this pack. (I know you'll take them at the end of the pack, but in terms of your contraceptive coverage during this pack, you extended your break week by two days longer than you should, which means that you missed those two days.)

You'll want to look at the instructions in your pill pack information leaflet for what it says you should do, and how your contraceptive coverage might have been affected, when you miss two pills in a row at the start of your pack.

Generally, missing pills can make the pill less effective. Waiting (or using a back-up method) for at least a week after missing pills is definitely the right thing to do, because your contraceptive coverage may have compromised. Sometimes, pill instructions also advise using a backup for the rest of the pack where you made a mistake: the best specific information for your particular pill and your situation should be in your pill's information.

Switching brand won't affect your contraceptive coverage: when people continue directly with a new brand, without extending their pill-free days or missing any pills, simply switching brand won't compromise their contraceptive coverage.

[Kaayaj11]

@redskies, that's exactly what I meant! I started the new pack a couple days after my cycle. And the leaflet wasn't too informative. It says to take 2 pills the next day and use back up for a week. But in my situation I chose to start late so I didn't take those pills.

[Kaayaj11]

The day I started my pack late was February 24 instead of 22. I did actually have a light period but the days I had imtercourse was only about a week before my cycle started so I didn't think it was enough time to tell if I could've been pregnant by missing a period. I did start my pack on time after that cycle.

[Mo]

Looks like we got this sorted for you on chat!