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birth control
I have been on the birth control lutera for about 5 months now. Everything is fine but I always find myself forgetting to take it at the right time. My gyno said that if I miss one, it doesn't matter just take two the next day. I have never missed two in a row; but I have made it a habit of missing one day, then taking two the next.
my question is, if I have been taking two every other day (for the most part), is the pill still effective?
I'm asking this because I got my period a week early, and that isn't suppose to happen when you're on bith control I thought...
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Your gynecologist was right and wrong in telling you that you are still sexually protected from pregnancy if you take two pills when missing one.
First off, I want to note this:
It is correct that the hormonal birth control pill is 99.7% effective when used in perfection. This means that you should be taking your pill at the EXACT SAME TIME every single day, no alterations to your body or lifestyle. Even if you're only a couple of hours off, you have increased the chances of a pregnancy. The longer you wait in between taking pills, the higher chances of pregnancy.
With TYPICAL use of the hormonal birth control, a woman is 92% protected from pregnancy. However, one should take into consideration that even with a 92% effective rate, there is an estimated 8 in every 100 women who will become pregnant from typical usage. This being said, you should be taking as many precautions as humanly possible to prevent a pregnancy (along with STD/STI transmission). In addition, you are not even taking the pill on "typical" standards so you are extremely low regarding the pregnancy protection situation.
When your doctor told you to take two pills after skipping one he/she did not mean that it was okay to do this back-to-back days. It is very unhealthy for your body and is not helping much to decrease your chances of pregnancy. It is likely that you actually ovulated (which is what the pill is trying to prevent in the first place) and that is why you started your period.
In short, it's acceptable to double up on pills ONCE every so often (once a month is probably okay but not recommended by any means) but you should try your hardest not to do this. If you need to, purchase a wristwatch that has a timer on it and have it go off at the same time every day to remind you to take your pill.
It is good you've never missed two days in a row so keep that one up, but try better to take the pill every single day at the same time. You really want to use other protection when engaging in sexual intercourse since the pill is not as effective as you may have once thought, especially that you are not taking it as directed.
I hope I've helped you figure out what's going on with your body. If you have any more questions please feel free to ask me :)
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Getting your period early is because
you are missing pills and your system
doesn't know what is going on.
You know you aren't pregnant but it
should be a warning that you are missing
to often. Taking 2 the next day is fine
if you forget once in a while. It isn't
something you will be able to get away
with on a regular basis. You doctor will
be assuming you take them as directed
most of the time.
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If your doctor told you that you are protected, then you are. I'm the same way, I usually skip a day, & then take two. I have a busy schedule, and that's usually just how it happens.
Birth control does a lot of great things. Like keeping you protected during sex, making your periods lighter, and not as long, but it doesn't control when you get your period. Though, you shouldn't be bleeding if you are taking the active pills. So I would talk to your doctor about that. It's called breakthrough bleeding, and it can mean a bunch of different things, so get it checked out.
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