Scarleteen

Hello

I have been taking the pill for just under 3 weeks now to try and help with a problem related to my periods. I just have a number of questions about the contraception side of things. I've tried looking it up online but can't seem to find what I'm looking for. It would be great if you could help me out!

1) How long should I be taking the pill before it is fully working as a contraceptive? Some people say you should take it for a month before having intercourse, but others say it is effective as soon as you start taking it! I plan on using 2 methods of contraception anyway but would just like to know which is the correct statement to be on the safe side. I started taking it on the first day of my period if that helps?

2) Once on the pill, is there any time at all when it WILL NOT work as a contraceptive? For example, can I still have intercourse during the week off the pill? Basically, is the pill effective every single day as long as I take it when I'm supposed to?

3) Speaking of taking it when I'm supposed to, I tend to take it in the morning but I was wondering if I must take it at the exact same time every day? The maximum time I've been late taking it is about 40 mins (Eg. One day I'll maybe take it at 8am but then maybe the next I'll end up taking it at 8.15am. Is this ok?)

After my repoly here, if you use our search engine on the main site and put in "oral contraceptives," or "birth control pill" you'll find a host of different articles which include answers like these and more. If you already used our search engine -- versus looking anywhere else online -- and didn't get those results, it may have been a matter of not using the right terms like those.

1) It depends on when you started the pill. For those who start on day one of a menstrual cycle or on or before the first Sunday after a period begins, so long as the pill is used properly throughout that first pill pack (and ever after), it should be fully effective within one week. Those who start at any other time should figure they probably will not have full effectiveness until they begin their second pack of pills.

2) Nope. So long as you never take more than a seven-day placebo break, and always start a new pack on time, using your pill properly throughout, the pill is equally effective every day of the pack, including during the placebo week.

3) Combined oral contraceptives have a 12 hour grace period, which means only if a pill is taken 12 hours later than your last time you took it (as in, let's say you took it at 2 PM Tuesday, it'd only be late if the next time you took a pill was after 2 AM Thursday) is it late. However, it's best to take it around the same time of day, like in the morning or at bedtime. Minipills have a three hour grace period.

Thanks for the reply

Just to clarify, by "pack" do you mean the actual packet of pills (a month's worth) or do you mean the actual box which contains 3 packets of pills?

I mean a single pack of active + placebo pills: one cycle of pills.