Birth Control Pills left in sunlight - how big is the risk?

[t-h-i-a]

I've been taking a combination estrogen-progestin birth control pill (the kind with 3 distinct weeks with 3 different dosages) for several years now and it's always worked great for me, I use it mainly as a contraceptive but also to treat acne and irregular & heavy periods.

However, I just moved (from California to Michigan) and my life has been somewhat hectic because of it, and I forgot that they are sensitive to sunlight! For the better part of at least 3 days, but possibly as many as 5, i had been leaving it on a window-sill near my bed. My insurance USE to cover the pills that came with a closing plastic case, which I loved, but the last few months after my insurance changed, instead it's been a cheapy cardboard sheet that comes with an envelope instead. I managed to lose the envelope and had been sitting them FACE UP, UNCOVERED, on the window sill, like an idiot.

I live in the same house as my boyfriend of 3+ years, and we have unprotected sex every night, I've never used condoms because I don't like the feel of them and I only have one partner and have always been very diligent with my birth control. Once I remembered the potential risk of exposing them to sunlight, I've had him pulling out.

I read somewhere else on this forum, that if they are rendered ineffective by sunlight you can tell because the pills will change shape, swelling up and causing the pill blister to swell up. My pills look the same as they always have, no change in shape or color, and the pill blisters look normal too, not inflated at all. Does this mean I should be careful but not worry too much? or is it still highly likely that they've been rendered mostly or completely ineffective?

Because of moving and previously having MediCal I will need to change my insurance, and get a new doctor, so I probably won't be able to get a new month immediately, I'm on the first week of this potentially sun-damaged pack and thought i had 3 more weeks to get my next pack.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

[Heather]

If the pack looks normal, and has never looked anything but, you are probably just fine.

But if you'd like to back up for the rest of the cycle, you can certainly do so using withdrawal, or I';d be happy to suggest some things that might help if you want to use condoms to back up instead.