Late pill

[Jellyfish777]

Last week Friday, July 21st, I took a pill late by about 13 hours. This past evening, the night of the 27th, my boyfriend and I had vaginal sex for about five minutes with a condom on before we switched to anal, which he finished with inside me, still with a condom. I'm pretty sure the condom didn't break or anything, and I know it was put on properly, but I was wondering if my late pill would cause an issue. It was the second to last pill in the end of my first week, other than that I have had no other late pills. Since tomorrow morning will mark seven days after I last took it, should I get a plan B pill or should I be good to go? I haven't taken the seventh pill yet but I will in a few hours. Thank you!

[Sam W]

Hi Jellyfish,

Did you follow the instructions in your pill pack for what to do if a pill is taken late?

Too, it sounds like you had protection from the condom, which means you're pretty well covered. You would have known if the condom broke, because the breaks are very, very noticeable.

[Jellyfish777]

I took the pill as soon as I could, that's what the instructions said. I didn't actually miss the pill so I didn't take two at a time, which it says to do if you miss it. It doesn't give any additional information on what to do if youre late with just one pill, other than you should just take it when you remember. And if the condon didn't break but my pill wasnt at its full effectiveness, I still count on very effective contraceptives? Thank you!

[Sam W]

Got it. And yes, since the condom didn't break or come off and you still had some protection from your pill, your level of protection was still pretty high. Of course, if you think taking Plan B would make you feel more at ease, that is an option you can pursue.

[Jellyfish777]

I know that there's always a risk due to any sort of penetration, but we had vaginal sex for such a short period of time. Also I'm very sure nothing leaked out of the condom when he did ejaculate. Would that improve my likelihood of being okay? And about how much is plan B? Can I take it alongside my pills? Also, since it was almost a week since I did have my late pill, would its effectiveness be almost back to normal?

[Jellyfish777]

One other thing, would plan B mess with my period?

[Jellyfish777]

Sorry, one final thing! Is it really that necessary to take it? I don't want to goof up my cycle because that may make me worry more. Also, since I still did have a condom and at least some of my pill working, should I even bother?

[Mo]

Here's some more info about Plan B/emergency contraception, including how it can impact your menstrual cycle: Emergency Contraception (Plan B or the Morning-After-Pill)
We really can't tell you if you should take emergency contraception or not; it's up to you and how you feel about the situation. Some people would and some wouldn't, given the scenario you describe above, and there's not a right or wrong answer here, just what might be best for you. Sam went over how protected you likely were in her responses above, so based on that information you can make the decision.

[Jellyfish777]

Okay thank you! I looked up the finer details of my pill and it said for any ONE pill missing for 24 hours or over there was no need to take ec or even use back up contraception(I still will of course) so I think especially because I did take the pill within 24 hours I'll be okay with not getting ec. Thank you so much though for the information!