Scarleteen

Hi! I recently began birth control for the very first time. I am on TriNessa. I take it once a day at 6 o'clock PM. I started my pack on November 15. I've finished my white pills and light blue pills and am now three days into my dark blue pills pack.

I typically try to take it on time, but sometimes it's a little hard, especially over the holidays. Sometimes I take it 15-20 minutes past 6 PM. The latest I've ever taken it was a little while after 8 PM. Another time I took it after 7 PM, but most of the time I take it before 6:30 PM. I was just wondering if taking my pill late will affect the effectiveness of it. I've had unprotected sex twice this pack, but he didn't ejaculate inside me and wasn't even close to it really.

I'm supposed to start my placebo pills next Sunday. I'm kinda confused on what they do. Am I supposed to get my period the week that I begin the placebo pills? What if I don't? Do I continue to take my placebo pills if my period ends before they're gone or do I switch to a new pack? Would it be unusual to not get a period the first month of taking the pack?

I haven't experienced any spotting. My doctor said not to worry if it happens, but should I be worried if it doesn't? I've been broken out pretty much since I started the pills which is unusual for me. Normally I breakout when my period starts and then it clears up as my period ends. I've had tender nipples but not many more side effects that I can notice. Are these things normal for birth control?

This might be a dumb question but I don't know the answer. I know you're supposed to refill your prescription before you run out of pills. Do you do this when you start your placebo pills or earlier? I'm just unsure on how I should refill.

Thank you for your time!

Hi Blackfish,

With the pill, you actually have a 12 hour window before it is even considered late, so a few minutes or hours here or should not compromise how effective it is. Just so you know, we actually encourage people to use condoms as back up for the first cycle of the pill (and, in all honesty, while on the pill in general because it decreases STI risks and seems to help many people feel less anxious). When it comes to the placebo week, this article is a great place to learn more: http://www.scarleteen.com/article/advic ... ebo_period

As for side effects like spotting, every body is different, so you may get those side effects or you may not. When it comes to refilling, that depends on how long it takes to get a prescription filled for you. But it's best to err on the side of getting them sooner rather than later.

Thank you for getting back to me! I read the article you provided and I have a question about a term used. What does it mean when it says birth control is used perfectly? What qualifies as perfect usage of the birth control pill or a condom?

A clinical trial, ultimately. Very, very few people make no mistakes using the pill in a full year, so with methods like the pill, you want to figure typical use rates are most likely what yours will be.

Condoms are used only each time, so it's easier to get close to perfect use of those in a year, provided they are always used, and always used properly, according to directions for condom use found on sites like ours and often included in a box of condoms.