what to remember when you start taking birth control
Using the pill is like shooting fish in a barrel: but swallow a tiny pill every twenty-four hour period. Here's the info on how to start birth control pills, the different types of pills, and what to do if you miss a birth control pill.
What are the dissimilar types of birth control pills?
There are 2 types of birth control pills (combination pills and progestin-only pills), and many different brands.
Combination Pills (COCs):
Equally long as y'all take one pill every day, you lot'll be protected from pregnancy. You don't have to take your combination pill at the exact same time every day. But taking it at the same time is a expert thought because it helps go on you in the habit of remembering your pill.
Progestin-Only Pills (aka POPs or Mini Pills):
Progestin-only pills accept one kind of hormone (progestin) — these pills don't have whatsoever estrogen. You lot must take your progestin-only pill inside the aforementioned 3 hours every day to be protected from pregnancy.
The one exception is Slynd (a different blazon of progestin-only pill): you don't demand to take Slynd inside the same 3-hr window every day, merely information technology'south all-time to take information technology around the aforementioned time if y'all can to help keep you on schedule.
How do I use the different types of nascence command pills?
Combination Pills (COCs):
Equally long every bit you accept 1 pill every day, you'll exist protected from pregnancy. Yous don't have to take your combination pill at the exact same time every 24-hour interval. Merely taking information technology at the same time is a good thought considering it helps continue you in the addiction of remembering your pill. You can also utilise an alarm, calendar reminder, or our birth command app to aid you retrieve. Most combination pills come in 28-twenty-four hour period or 21-twenty-four hours packs.
If you take 28-day packs:
Take i pill every day for 28 days (4 weeks) in a row, and then start a new pack on day 29. The last pills in 28-solar day packs of combination pills practise not have hormones in them. These pills are called "reminder" or "placebo" pills — they help remind yous to take your pill every day and outset your next pack on fourth dimension. How many days you take hormone-free reminder pills depends on the brand of pill. Nearly pill packs have hormone-costless pills for vii days, simply sometimes there are less. The reminder pills may contain iron or other supplements. Yous go your flow during the calendar week you take these reminder pills. You'll still be protected from pregnancy fifty-fifty if yous don't take the reminder pills — just recollect to showtime your next pack on time.
If you have 21-twenty-four hours packs:
Take 1 pill every solar day for 21 days (3 weeks) in a row. And so don't accept whatsoever pills for 7 days (week 4). You lot'll become your period during the 4th week while you aren't taking whatsoever pills. It's important to take every pill in a 21-solar day pack because there are no reminder (hormone-free) pills. The hormone pills will prevent pregnancy even if you have sexual activity during the calendar week when you don't have any pills. Start your next pack after non taking your pills for seven days — y'all may want to use an alarm or reminder to aid y'all stay on runway.
If yous have 91-day packs:
Some combination pills have 12 weeks (3 months) of hormone pills in a row, followed past up to 1 week of hormone-free reminder pills. This is and then you'll simply have your period once every 3 months. The hormones will prevent pregnancy even if yous accept sex activity during the reminder pill week. You can also use other pill brands to skip your period by skipping the reminder pills. Read more about how to use pills to skip your period.
Progestin-Only Pills (aka POPs or Mini Pills):
You must accept progestin-but pills within the same 3 hours every day to be protected from pregnancy. For example, if you take your progestin-simply pill at 12:00 p.thou., taking information technology after 3:00 p.one thousand. the next 24-hour interval puts you at risk for pregnancy. Alarms, reminders, or birth control apps can assistance y'all take your pill on time.
Progestin-only pills merely come up in 28-day (4 week) packs. All 28 pills have hormones. You must accept every pill in a progestin-only pack to exist protected from pregnancy — in that location is no hormone-costless week. You may get your period during the fourth week. Yous could likewise take bleeding on and off throughout the calendar month (spotting), or get no period at all.
There'south also a new type of progestin-only pill chosen Slynd that'south a piddling different than other POPs. Slynd packs have 24 "agile" hormone pills and four hormone-free "reminder" (placebo) pills. And yous don't need to have Slynd within the same 3 hours every day — equally long as y'all take one pill every day, you'll be protected from pregnancy.
How do I apply the pill to stop my period?
Skipping your period with the combination pill is safe and super easy. Basically yous just accept a pill with hormones every 24-hour interval and skip your hormone-free "reminder" pills. You tin do this two ways:
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You can apply a brand of pills that has 3 months of hormone pills in a row, so yous only get your period four times a yr.
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Yous can skip the hormone-free reminder pills in your pack and spring right to the next pack. Yous tin can practice this every month, or simply whenever you want to skip your menses.
You may accept some haemorrhage or spotting when you use the pill to skip your menstruum — that's totally normal. If you skip your hormone-free week every month, the spotting should go away subsequently nearly 6 months.
In that location's nothing dangerous or harmful about using the pill to skip your period. And it comes in really handy if you desire a special occasion (like a vacation or a hot date) to be menses-free.
You tin only skip your period with combination pills. If you lot're using a progestin-just pill (POP or Mini Pill), you need to take every pill in your pill pack.
What do I do if I missed a birth control pill?
The pill works best if yous have it every solar day on schedule, but about everyone on the pill forgets to take it sometimes. Knowing what to do when you lot miss a birth command pill is of import.
Here's a handy tool to help you figure out what to do if you miss a pill. You'll need to know the brand name of the pill you're on in order to use this tool. Yous can find the proper name on your pill pack or past calling your physician or the drugstore where you got it.
If you can't find out the name of your pill, use a rubber anytime you take vaginal sex until you tin talk with your nurse or doctor. If you've already had sexual practice in the terminal five days since making a pill mistake, you may want to use emergency contraception.
If yous're on Slynd (a blazon of progestin-but pill) and you miss 1 white hormone pill, take your missed pill as soon as possible, and then take your next pill when yous were unremarkably supposed to — that might mean taking 2 pills in ane twenty-four hours. If you miss ii or more than white pills, take the nearly recent pill you missed as shortly equally possible, and keep taking ane pill a day until you stop the pack (i or more than of your older missed pills will be left in the pack). If you miss two or more than white pills and have penis-in-vagina sex activity within the next 7 days, use a backup method of birth control (like condoms). If you miss 1 or more dark-green reminder pills, just throw abroad the green pills you missed and go on taking 1 pill a day until you finish the pack.
When can I start taking birth control pills?
You lot tin kickoff taking nascency control pills as soon as you become them — any twenty-four hour period of the week, and anytime during your menstrual cycle. But when y'all'll be protected from pregnancy depends on when yous start and the kind of pill you're using. You may demand to apply a backup birth control method (like condoms) for up to the commencement seven days.
Talk with your nurse or doctor virtually the best time for you to start taking the pill.
Combination Pills (COCs):
You lot tin can start the combination pill at any time.
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If y'all start taking combination pills inside 5 days subsequently your period starts, yous'll exist protected from pregnancy right away. For example, if you get your period Monday forenoon, you tin beginning the pill anytime until Saturday morning and be protected from pregnancy right away.
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If you lot start combination pills whatever other time, you need to take the pill for 7 days before you're protected from pregnancy. Utilize another method of nascency control — like a safe — if y'all have penis-in-vagina sex during the first week on the pill.
Progestin-Only Pills (POPs or Mini Pills):
Yous can start progestin-merely pills at any fourth dimension. You'll be protected from pregnancy after 48 hours (ii days) on the pill. If you accept penis-in-vagina sex during those starting time 2 days, use some other method of nascency command, similar a condom.
You must take progestin-merely pills at the same time every twenty-four hours. If you take it more than 3 hours past your usual time, employ a backup method of birth command for the adjacent 48 hours (2 days).
A new type of progestin-just pill called Slynd works a little differently. If you lot start taking Slynd within the beginning 5 days of your period, yous'll be protected from pregnancy right away. If you start taking Slynd at whatsoever other time in your cycle, utilize another method of nascence control (like condoms) if you have penis-in-vagina sex during the first 7 days. And yous don't need to take Slynd within the same 3 hours every solar day, like you do with other progestin-only pills.
Starting the Pill Later on Pregnancy:
You can get meaning again before long later on being significant, so talk with your nurse or dr. virtually starting your nascence control as presently as you can.
You can start taking the progestin-only pill correct afterward an abortion, miscarriage, or childbirth.
You tin start taking the combination pill right after an ballgame or miscarriage. In general, you can start taking the combination pill 3 weeks later giving birth (only wait 3 weeks whether you're breastfeeding or non). Read more about breastfeeding and nascency command pills.
What do I do if I want to become pregnant?
If you decide you want to get pregnant, only stop taking the pill. No matter what kind of birth control pill you're on, it'due south possible to get pregnant correct subsequently you lot end taking it. It tin accept a few months for your period to get dorsum to the cycle you had before you started taking the pill, but you tin still get meaning during that fourth dimension.
More questions from patients:
Or call 1-800-230-7526
Source: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control/birth-control-pill/how-do-i-use-the-birth-control-pill
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