Storage of birth control pills - scared of ineffectiveness

[samhopexo]

Hello! I am currently on the combination pill (Junel Fe 1/20) and have been on it for about 2 months now. This is my first time ever on any kind of birth control and I just lost my virginity (I am 28 years old). I have a lot of anxiety and pregnancy paranoia so bare with me here.

I am just worried that my pills became ineffective at some point. During the work week I keep my pills in my desk at work since the temperature is 75 degrees or cooler and more consistent. During the weekend though (Friday-Sunday) I bring my pill pack to my boyfriends house. At the start of the current pack I am on, his house was pretty warm (my temperature reader said 81-83 degrees, don't think it got any higher than that). I would keep the pack in my purse by his fan and it was never in direct sunlight. It didn't cross my mind that heat was an issue until near the middle of my pack so I moved my pill pack into his basement where it is cooler (72-73 degrees) BUT there is high humidity (86%) and I left it down there while the dryer was on too one time. It is a very tiny basement where only a washer/dryer and some odds and ends can fit in it. Recently though air conditioning was installed in my boyfriends room so it is kept at around 70 degrees with 50% humidity now but he does not like to keep the air conditioning on while he is out of the house to save money so I will move it back down to the basement.

In this situation, have I compromised my pills? I know they say to look for condensation in the pack or a visible breakdown of the pills and I haven't noticed anything. I did ask my pharmacist and my doctor and they both said I should be fine but I'm still freaking out about it. If someone knows anything about this please let me know.

[Sam W]

Hi samhopexo,

So, since you haven't noticed any deterioration of the pill and/or the pack, and you confirmed with two healthcare providers that your pills should still be full effective, the you can assume your pills are fine and will still offer you the full level of protection. That being said, one way to decrease your anxiety around this is to, if you're not already doing so, use a condom as a back-up method for sex going forward. That way you know that, if something ever did happen to your pill, you had a secondary method that was offering protection.