PotStickers asked
I take combination pills and I took the second pill of the first week of a new pack 9 hours late. Do I need emergency contraception or any back up methods?
Answer
If you are 9 hours late taking your birth control pill, instructions for what to do vary depending on the type of birth control pill you are taking. If you are taking a combined hormone birth control pill (i.e. one that contains both an estrogen and a progestin), you should:
- Take the pill you are late on as soon as you remember and take the next pill at your regular time. This could mean that you are taking two pills in one day.
- You do not need to use a back-up birth control method if you have sex as you are still protected from pregnancy.
If you had unprotected sex on the day you were 9 hours late taking your birth control pill, emergency contraception is not usually needed. It should be considered though if any pills were missed earlier in the cycle or in the last week of your previous pill pack.
If you are taking a progestin only pill, also known as a "minipill" and are 9 hours late taking a dose, you should:
- Take your late pill as soon as you remember and continue taking them at your regular time, which means you could be taking two pills in one day.
- You should use a backup method (e.g. condoms) every time you have sex for the next 48 hours.
If you had unprotected sex on the day you were more than 3 hours late taking your pill or for 48 hours after, you should consider emergency contraception.
The above information is from the CDC (Centers For Disease Control) publication: U.S. Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use.
