Late starting a new pack of BC + using different BC

[hanmarangel]

Hi,
I have been taking BC for quite some time now about 4 years. My regular BC is Junel 1.5/30 it only has 21 active pills and it doesn't have placebo pills so I usually just don't take anything for 7 days and start again on the 8th day. Today was the 8th day and I fell asleep and didn't pick up my prescription from the pharmacy plus I forgot to take a pill at 10pm. I usually take my pill every night at 10pm or 10:30 sometimes I'm late, rarely the most I have ever been late was 3-4 hours. So I forgot the prescription so I didn't have the Junel 1.5/30 but I did have some extra packs of NORG-EE 0.18-0.215-0.25/0.025 this pack has placebo pills and each week is different colors and I'm guessing different doses. I took one active pill of the NORG-EE at 12:41am instead of 10pm. I had unprotected sex with my bf during my off days (not taking active pills for 7 days) which was Sunday the 16th and Friday the 21st but he did not ejaculate at all during those 2 days. My question is, is there a risk of me being pregnant with having sex with no condom, on my off days and being late 3 hours and taking a different BC pill? I am planning on going to the pharmacy to ask if I should continue the NORG-EE or just pick up my Junel and continue that but I am too embarrassed to talk to the pharmacist about the sex part. I also want to know if I need to take the morning after pill? I would really appreciate a detailed answer covering all my concerns. Thank you so much in advance!

[Karyn]

Hi, hammarangel. Since you did take a pill within a few hours of when you were supposed to start your new pack, and (I'm assuming) have been continuing to take pills, you should have some level of protection, although it's difficult to say how much. If you wanted to take emergency contraception (the morning after pill) to reduce your risk from sex on the 21st, that is still an option, but it would be best to take it within the next 24 hours or so.

Honestly, this really is something best discussed with a pharmacist: I can promise you that they hear questions about pill mixups and sex all the time and it's not anything they find embarrassing at all. It can definitely be intimidating to ask any kind of healthcare provider questions about sex, especially if it's not something you've done before, but part of their job is providing that information and they're there to help you.