Anon asked
I just started taking birth control pills for the first time (Alesse 28 day pack) and I realized that I misheard/misread the instructions. I had thought that I needed to take the first pill the Sunday after my period ENDED rather than STARTED like I should have. So today, I took the first pill and my period ended a couple days ago and I was wondering if this is OK and if I should still continue taking the pills as I already am or if I should just stop and discard this pack and wait until the next month to actually start?
Answer
If you are just starting on your first pack of birth control pills and accidentally start late, you should simply:
- Start your pill pack when you remember. Take one pill at the same time every day.
- However, you need to use back-up contraception if you are sexually active until you have taken 7 consecutive days of active pills.
Most individuals starting birth control pills start their pack with the "Day One" method, as there is no need to use back-up contraception with this method. Based on your inquiry, it looks like this is the method you intended to do, which is:
- Take the first “active” pill of the first pack during the first 24 hours of your period.
- You do not need to use back-up birth control with this method and you are protected from pregnancy right away.
Having missed the appropriate start time for the "Day One" method won't cause any issues besides the fact that you now need to use back-up birth control (e.g. condoms) if you are sexually active.
There is no medical reason that an individual cannot start on birth control pills at any time during menses. Just remember about the back-up contraception if it applies to your situation.
