Drew12 asked
I switched from Microgestin to Ocella and had unprotected sex on the last day of the placebo pills on microgestin I’m wondering if the effectiveness carried over to the new brand
Answer
It is always a good idea to look into whether or not you need to use back-up birth control methods when switching between different birth control methods or products. In your case, you are switching between two different brands of "combined oral contraceptive pills" (i.e. COCs).
Both Ocella and Microgestin contain an estrogen and a progestin. When switching between products that contain both an estrogen and a progestin, it is important to start the new product the same day the previous birth control pills would have been resumed. In other words, start your new pack the day after you take your last 'inactive' pill of your other brand of birth control pills (that you will no longer be taking).
For example, if you were to resume taking active pills of Microgestin on a Sunday, simply start the Ocella on that day. If this is followed, there is no need to use backup contraception and you will be protected against pregnancy. The package insert for Ocella affirms this.
