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Missed Pills

If you MISS 1 active pill:

  1. Take it as soon as you remember. Take the next pill at your regular time. This means you may take 2 pills in 1 day.
  2. You do not need to use a back-up birth control method if you have sex.

If you MISS 2 active pills in a row in WEEK 1 or WEEK 2:

  1. Take 2 pills on the day you remember and 2 pills the next day.
  2. Then take 1 pill a day until you finish the pack.
  3. You COULD BECOME PREGNANT if you have sex in the 7 days after you miss pills. You must use another birth control method (such as condoms or spermicide) as a back-up method for those 7 days.

If you MISS 2 active pills in a row in the 3RD WEEK:

  1. If you are a Sunday starter, keep taking 1 pill every day until Sunday. On Sunday, THROW OUT the rest of the pack and start a new pack of pills that same day.
  2. If you are a Day 1 starter, THROW OUT the rest of the pill pack and start a new pack that same day.
  3. You may not have your period this month but this is expected. However, if you miss your period 2 months in a row, call the office because you may be pregnant.
  4. You COULD BECOME PREGNANT if you have sex in the 7 days after you miss pills. You MUST use another birth control method (such as condoms or spermicide) as a back-up method for those 7 days.

If you MISS 3 or more active pills in a row during the first 3 weeks:

  1. If you are a Sunday starter, keep taking 1 pill every day until Sunday. On Sunday, THROW OUT the rest of the pack and start a new pack of pills that same day.
  2. If you are a Day 1 starter, THROW OUT the rest of the pill pack and start a new pack that same day.
  3. You may not have your period this month but this is expected. However, if you miss your period 2 months in a row, call the office because you may be pregnant.
  4. You COULD BECOME PREGNANT if you have sex in the 7 days after you miss pills. You MUST use another birth control method (such as condoms or spermicide) as a back-up method for those 7 days.

If you FORGET any of the 7 placebo pills in WEEK 4:

  1. THROW AWAY the pills you missed.
  2. Keep taking 1 pill each day until the pack is empty.
  3. You do not need to use a back-up method.