Scarleteen

I have been taking kurvelo oral birth control pills for over a year now and right now I am about 5 days Into the first week of a new pill pack. This morning my alarm didn't go off so I ended up taking my pill two and a half hours late. I had sex two days ago and I have read that if it's the first week of a new pill pack that you have to use a backup form of bc. Is this true? It's not like I missed my pill completely so shouldn't I still be protected? If I do need to use another form of bc for 7 days am I still protected from the sex I had two days ago since sperm can last inside the body for a few days?

Hi Worried,

The backup method recommendation pertains to the first week of being on hormonal contraceptives, not the first week of every new pack. A backup barrier method like condoms is always a good idea though, for protection against STIs and for extra peace of mind if you're the type to worry about pregnancy. Since Kurvelo is a combination progestin/estrogen pill, taking it at exactly the same time every day is not imperative. While it's a good habit to be in, taking it a few hours late once in a while will not impact the effectiveness.

Hope this helps!

Thanks that helps a lot! All my questions were answered

You're welcome, glad I could help!