Pill question

[aj2234]

Hi there. I normally take my pill at 8pm. Two days ago I took it at 9-10pm. Yesterday I went out drinking and began throwing up. I was going to take my pill after I had settled and low and behold I woke up this morning and realise I didn't take it.

I took the pill I was supposed to take on Wednesday night at 7am this morning. I know there is a 12 hour window but as I'm right at the end of it I was wondering if the advice was to use barrier contraception or that I made it within the 12 hours and so am fine?

What happens when you go past 12 hours? Is that when you start to see a drop in effectiveness (this is just out of curiosity).

[Danny S.]

Hi aj2234,
I would definitely suggest using a backup method of contraception, especially if you're unsure about how regularly you've been taking your pills. Here's an article that should help you out: http://www.scarleteen.com/article/sexua ... ol_with_a_

[Onionpie]

Hi aj2234. To add onto what Danny said, the effectiveness of the pill is usually impacted when someone misses/takes a pill late two or more times within one cycle. IE. only if you took a pill later than 12 hours late, TWICE. When you took the pill at 10pm instead of 8pm, that would have had no impact on the effectiveness of the pill at all -- that's not even considered late!

So, basically: when you go past 12 hours is when it counts as a late pill, and so if you do that twice in one cycle of pills then the effectiveness will start to be reduced. It's to do with the hormones cycling through your bloodstream, so a couple of hours doesn't change anything -- you haven't been without the regular level of hormones for long enough for anything to have changed.

But if you go 12 hours without the usual dose of hormones then it will just start to have an effect because your body has been without the hormones for long enough to potentially start going back to "normal" (ie. the fertile state your body is in without the hormones from birth control), but if that happens only once then that's not really enough opportunity for your body to fully return to "normal" (ie. build up a lining in your uterus, ovulate, AND thin the layer of mucous around your cervix to allow sperm through).

The more it happens in the cycle, the more your body's hormone levels have been messed around and the less likely for the pills to have had the chance to do what they're supposed to do -- ie. change the hormone levels in your body so you can't get pregnant.

Hopefully I explained that in a way that's understandable. Here are a couple of articles that will help you understand the details of how the pill works, and thus what will impact its effectiveness:
Combined Oral Contraceptives (The Pill)

How do birth control pills really work, even during the placebo period?

[aj2234]

Hi Danny and Onionpie. Onion, thank you for explaining how twelve hours works in affecting the pill - I have a better understanding of that now.

I'm a little confused from both of your responses as I am certain of how regularly I take my pill - I take it very regularly and think of myself as a typical user (around the same time everyday, backing up when using antibiotics etc.)

So the incident I described only happened the one time on Wednesday night - was meant to take it at 8pm Wednesday and mistakenly took it at 7am Thursday.

So, Onionpie, from what I gathered from your post, as I was within twelve hours and it has only occurred once, it is not significant enough to compromise my effectiveness? Thank you.

[aj2234]

To add: on Thursday evening I took my pill as per usual at 8pm.

[Sam W]

Hi aj2234,

Yep, that's what Onionpie was saying!

[aj2234]

Oh, phew! Thank you for confirming Sam. That 12 hour window is certainly amazing. Thank you for your help and Merry Christmas! Good to know I can relax about it now. The pill can be so confusing sometimes.

[Sam W]

You're welcome, and same to you