birth control effectiveness

[kiiiimibela]

Hi! So I started taking a combination birth control called Lolo tuesday (July 9th) last week even though i havent started my period yet. My previous period started on June 25th and ended on June 29th. Will the pill be effective now since I have been taking it everyday for 12 days now? I haven’t missed a pill too. Would I be protected now?

[Heather]

It may not be, no. When people start the pill or methods like it on day one of a period or no later than the first Sunday after a period starts, then they can be effective potentially right away. That's not the case when starting mid-cycle like you did, because you may still ovulate.

It's always a good idea to keep using condoms anyway even when you do start the pill (both because of the STI prevention condoms offer, but also because it's more effective to use two methods AND because it's super common for it to take people a few months to get in the habit of using the pill right every day). But in your case, you absolutely will need to use a backup method until you're into your next pack if you want its full protection.

[kiiiimibela]

I’m very confused now, cause I did some research and almost all websites said that I can take the pill midcycle yet I just have to keep taking the pill for 7 days and it will become effective.

[Mo]

I looked up the patient information packet for this pill and it says "Instruct the
patient to use a non-hormonal contraceptive as back-up during the first 7 days if she starts
taking Lo Loestrin Fe other than on the first day of her menstrual cycle."
Based on this, if you were otherwise taking the pill as directed, you'd be fully covered at this point, but we do recommend that people continue using condoms, especially for the first pack or so, for the reasons Heather mentions above. Are you and your partner up to date on your STI testing?