Scarleteen

Good Morning! I recently started birth control for the first time (i'm about halfway through my first pack) and I know that with the pill, its always good to take it "the same time every day". But what exactly does that mean? I have been taking it some time between 7:30 am and 11:30 am every morning (When I wake up), but is that too much variation?

I read through all the paperwork that came with my pill and it doesn't say anything specific, so I figured this was a good place to ask. How big is the time window allowed to be while still being considered perfect use?

Also, with the pill, I've heard that you can be protected from pregnancy within a week of taking your first pill, but I've also heard that you should wait a month. Which is the truth? or is the 'one month wait' just to be extra safe?

Lastly, and this might be a silly question, If I am on BC and am ejaculated inside of, there should be no (or very very little) risk of pregnancy, correct? Or is it standard that you still avoid being ejaculated inside of, even when on birth control?

Thanks so much for taking the time of day to answer some of my questions!

Hi Katkit,

With the pill, you technically have a twelve hour window before it's considered late, so a few hours difference won't alter how effective it is.

We, and many other sexual health organizations, recommend the one month wait for the reason you mentioned: being on the safe side. Waiting a full cycle of the pack gives you the greatest chance at full protection.

As far as ejaculate goes, if you are using the pill correctly you have a high level of protection.However, that level of protection is not 100%, which is why we recommend people use two methods to be safe (plus, adding in a barrier method helps protect against STIs). You can read more on that here: The Buddy System: Effectiveness Rates for Backing Up Your Birth Control With a Second Method