Way way behind on my pill... what do I do? What have I done?

05-01-2006, 04:57 PM

Hi all... I'm very worried about a situation and would greatly appreciate any advice.

First of all, I'm in my last week of college, trying to finish things up, been EXTREMELY busy. I started my new pack of pills Sunday, April 23. I took the first 3 pills (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday) right on time. Now it's down hill. I honestly don't know how this has happened but I've been so busy and stressed out with so many things that I've been behind on my pills by as many as 3 days.

I know... I know. I didn't take Wednesdays pill until this past Friday. I took Thursday and Friday's pill on Saturday. I took Saturday's pill on Sunday and today is Monday and I've just taken Sunday and Monday's pill. Now here's the kicker... my periods are very regular being on birth control. So... you ovulate 14 days after the start of your last period, I believe is correct? Today (Monday, May 1) is the 14th day so technically, I am ovulating, right? Well... it gets worse. My fiance and I had unprotected sex last Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and today (Monday). What do I do? What are the chances? What do I expect? So many questions.

Please don't tell me how wrong I am for letting this happen. Believe me, I know. I've just been doing SO many things... and yes, so many things that I forgot to take a little pill. I just need some answers. I've been on the pill for 5 YEARS now so could it possibly be that my body is so use to the same routine that maybe I didn't ovulate this month even though I have gotten behind on some pills? Again ladies, and advice would be GREATLY GREATLY appreciated.

I know... I know...

05-01-2006, 08:39 PM

If I were you, I would try to get Plan B (the morning after pill)to prevent pregnancy this month. Then I would use condoms with the pill for the rest of the cycle.
Assuming that you get your period on time you should be ok to start over next month.
Best of luck.

05-01-2006, 09:39 PM

Plan B is only really effective if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. And since you missed more than 2 pills in a row, theres always a chance you could be pregnant, no matter how long you've been on the pill. You cant really rely on only ovulating 14 days after your period if you're on the pill, since not taking the hormones has messed up the cycle your body was used to. I hate to be gloom and doom, but theres definitely a chance of pregnancy. Although it certainly is NOT a sure thing. What you CAN do, is go to planned parenthood tomorrow and see what they think. Actually, a copper IUD (the paragard) is approved as an emergency contraceptive if it is inserted within 5 days of unprotected sex, and is 99% effective as emergency contraception in this way. The downside is that it can be expensive if insurance wont cover it (but they have sliding scales for students), but on the upside its 99+% effective for 12 years (or less if you want to get it removed). Anyway, I have one, and its great to never have to think about my birth control, other than checking the string once a month to make sure its still in place.
I wish you luck!

05-01-2006, 09:45 PM

I stand corrected - I just looked it up, and the paragard IUD is effective as emergency contraception if inserted within 7 days of unprotected sex early in your cycle, or 5 days after ovulation.

05-02-2006, 04:43 AM

Depends which pill you take as to whether you ovulate or not. Ovulation usually occurs 14 days (could be more, could be less) before your NEXT period so if your cycle is 28 days it would happen round about the half way mark. Misssed pills puts you at risk of pregnancy so it's always recommended that you use condoms as a backup. Now, if you get back to regular pill taking if it's the combined b/c you will be protected again after 7 days. If you are at the end of the pack before 7 days is up then just continue to take the active pills without a break.
There is not much you can do about the ones you missed but some practitioners would give you emergency contraception as long as you are before the 19th day, even though this would be out of licence.
Please seek medical advice asap.

Way way behind on my pill... what do I do? What have I done?

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