What is considered "late"?

[suchening]

Hi all~
I have a question that I haven't been able to get a clear answer on. I was reading the booklet that comes with my birth control. It says that starting a new pill pack late could cause pregnancy but it does not specify what "late" means... This makes me confused. Sometimes I might start my new pill pack 2-3 hours late, but no later than that. I am wondering if I will still be protected then or if late means more starting a new pack 6 or 12 hours later. I haven't completely missed a pill in months. So just how important is the first pill in the pack? I usually take my BC pill (combined pill) at 9:45 pm, so is it crucial I start a new pack at 9:45 pm or are there a few hours of wiggle room?
Any clarifications would be appreciated~

[Mo]

When taking a combined birth control pill, you have 12 hours after your normal time before a pill is considered "late." 2-3 hours shouldn't be a problem. It's always good to take your pill as close to the same time every day as possible but some of that is related to habit and memory - if you have 9:45 in your mind as your pill-taking time, it'll be easier to remember than if it's 9-12. It is a good idea to be "extra on time" when taking the first pill in the pack, but again that means not being Officially Late. If you take it at 10:30, that's fine.

Since you've had a lot of questions about how your pill works and it sounds like pregnancy is something you definitely want to avoid for the time being, I think using condoms as well, if and when you have intercourse, is a good idea. We do always recommend that folks using birth control pills go ahead and back up that method with condoms for additional peace of mind, so I think this is something worth doing if you aren't already!

[suchening]

Thank you! I haven't had any sexual encounters with my boyfriend since this, so about 2.5 weeks of no sexual contact. I just get nervous whenever I start having side effects from my BC! I had to switch pills almost 2 months ago because I kept experiencing new symptoms non-stop for almost for months from back/abdominal pain, nausea, breakthrough bleeding... the whole nine. I started this higher dosage BC to prevent breakthrough bleeding and recently I started experiencing bloating and mild abdominal cramps. Since this is only my second cycle on this dosage I am pretty confident that these symptoms are due to my body still getting used to the increase in hormones.
Thank you Scarleteen staff for your help!

[Mo]

It is pretty common for folks to take a few cycles on a new birth control pill for things to "settle down" a bit; we can't guarantee that the side effects you're noticing now won't continue, but it's pretty common for that to happen! If you find that this one never feels great for you either, you could also talk to your doctor about other methods that might be a good fit, but definitely give this one a few more months first to see how it goes.