Oops, I Missed a Pill…Did I Mess Everything Up?
One of the most frequently Googled GYN questions is “What do I do when I miss my pill?” Pill oversights, although common, can cause a lot of panic and fear. Getting pregnant now is not an option! Staring at the pack and realizing you are up to Tuesday but it is Thursday can be horrifying. However, the reality is that, if you haven’t at some point in your pill-taking career missed a pill, you deserve a medal. Almost all of us have had an oops or an uh-oh over our one, five, ten, or fifteen years of taking the pill. You are most certainly not alone.
When you miss a pill, the first question to ask yourself is, how many did I miss? When you miss just one pill, it’s no big deal. Just take the missing pill as soon as soon as the light goes off in your head. If it is not until the next day, take the missed pill plus that day’s pill together.
If you miss two-plus pills, that is slightly more of an issue and requires some more effort. Again, once you have your “a-ha I missed my pills moment,” take both ASAP. Then resume your daily pill schedule.
However, forgetting to take a pill is like forgetting to brake when approaching a red light. The ignition will rev up, and you may roll right through an intersection. Without the daily suppressive effect of the pill, your brain may start to develop a follicle and get ready to release an egg. So to prevent pregnancy, the best thing to do is use an additional form of contraception (a.k.a. condoms) until you have taken seven days of active pills.
If the oops was in the last week of the active pills, don’t take the placebo week; restart a new pack a week early.
If the error was in the first week and you had unprotected sex, you should strongly consider emergency contraception (a.k.a. Plan B) as well as continue with your current pack for maximal protection. Call your doctor, and let him or her know what happened so that together you can design a plan that will prevent pregnancy.
When thinking about pill errors, think in terms of sevens:
- It takes about seven days of continuous pill use to prevent ovulation.
- Never take fewer than 21 consecutive active pills.
- Never have more than seven pill-free days (any longer than this gives the body a chance to ovulate).
While seven may not be your lucky number, if you follow those rules you will make sure you stay lucky (and not pregnant)! One notable news flash: if you forgot to take the sugar pill (a.k.a. the placebo one), don’t sweat it. Those pills are not doing anything more than keeping you in the habit of taking a daily pill. However, if you miss any of the active pills, even if you followed the back-up schedule, take a pregnancy test. Although many women on the low dose or the low, low dose pills don’t get a period, it’s best to check and confirm a negative.
The majority of unintended pregnancies on the pill occur from missed pills. If you are one of those who seem to suffer from forgetfulness as it relates to the pill, then oral contraceptives are probably not right for you. There are several other forms of reliable hormonal and non-hormonal contraception that can do the same trick without requiring the daily light bulb to go off.
Remember, mistakes happen. Most of these momentary lapses are not a big deal. In an effort to minimize these hiccups, pair your pill pack with a daily activity that you never forget—brushing your teeth, washing your face, taking your contacts out. This will help minimize mistakes and maximize effectiveness. We want this to work for you until you are ready to work on becoming a mom!