Dr. Lil Meyer-Arndt is a resident in neurology at Charite Universitatsmedizin Berlin and was a medical advisor and writer for Fernarzt until December 2019.
- What to watch out for if I forget to take the pill?
- Forgetting the mini-pill: what to do?
- Forgetting the pill in the first week
- Why there is a risk of pregnancy in the first week?
- Forgetting the pill in the second week
- Forgotten pill in the third week
- Forgetting the pill in the long-term cycle
- What can I do if I have taken one pill too many?
- Am I protected despite diarrhea and vomiting?
- Tips for taking the pill regularly
- Frequently asked questions about forgetting to take the pill
The Birth control pill is that the most commonly used contraceptive in Germany. With a Pearl Index ( scale for evaluating contraceptives) of 0.1 to 0.9, it is considered a One of the safest contraceptive methods.
Nothing panics a woman more than the realization that she has forgotten to take the Forgotten to take the pill has. Here you can find out what to look out for if you forget to take it and what this means for your contraception.
- Whether contraceptive protection still exists depends on the time in the cycle.
- Depending on the type of pill, the pill can be forgotten within 12 or. 3 hours of taking minipills.
- In the long cycle, forgetting to take the pill is usually not a problem.
To provide reliable protection against an unplanned pregnancy, the pill must be every day at the same time if possible be taken. Forgetting and thus taking mistakes can occur correspondingly quickly.
What to do if I have forgotten to take the pill?
As soon as you realize that you have forgotten to take a pill, you should do this Make up for it as soon as possible, even if you then take two pills at the same time. With most pills, the protection against conception is not affected if the forgotten pill is taken within twelve hours.
A Taking error is when the last pill was taken more than 36 hours ago (i.e. the missed pill was not taken within 12 hours of the usual time). You take the next pill again at the usual time.
You can find out more about this below under "Tips for taking the pill regularly".
If the time of taking the pill was changed by more than twelve hours (combined pill, micropill, new minipill with the active ingredient desogestrel) or a pill with the active ingredient. three hours (mini-pill, active ingredient levonorgestrel) exceeded, the pill may no longer protect you as usual against unwanted pregnancies. The reason for this is the strong decrease of the hormone level due to the missing intake.
Forgetting the mini-pill: what to do?
Have you made a Minipill (levonorgestrel: 3 hours, desogestrel: 12 hours), take the missed pill as soon as possible and take the following mini-pills again at the usual time (even if you then take two pills at the same time). You should also use additional contraception, for example condoms, for the next seven days. If you had sexual intercourse in the days before the missed pill, there is a possibility of pregnancy. In contrast to the combined preparation, the minipill does not reliably prevent the egg from maturing, but rather the build-up of the uterine lining and the penetration of the sperm through the cervix. If a pill is suspended, this protection is no longer guaranteed. Sperm can survive up to 5 days and thus fertilization can occur.
If you have combined pill or Micropill have not taken it in time, it depends on the time in the cycle, how to proceed. The forgotten pill should also be taken later here.
Forgetting the pill in the first week
If the pill was forgotten in the first week of use or taken too late, the protection is no longer adequate. In the next 7 days, in addition to taking the pill, you should use a other contraceptives, z. B. condoms, be used for contraception. If you take the morning-after pill correctly for at least one week, you will be protected against conception again.
Why is there a risk of pregnancy in the first week??
If you forget to take the pill in the first week and have had sexual intercourse, there is a risk of pregnancy. Fertilization of the egg can occur because the cervical mucus plug was formed during the previous pill break for the second week Sperm has become continuous. This can survive in the woman’s body for up to five days.
In this case it is advisable to seek advice from a medical specialist. This may offer you the morning-after pill. This can also over-the-counter can be purchased in pharmacies. With a recipe from your gynecologist or. gynecologist, the morning-after pill but reimbursed by the health insurance fund.
Missed pill in the second week
If you forget to take the pill in the second week of the cycle, you should no risk of pregnancy. Therefore, no further contraceptive measures need to be taken.
However, it is a prerequisite that you have always taken your pills correctly during the first week, i.e. no pill has been missed.
Forgetting the pill in the third week
When the pill is forgotten in the third week, its Contraceptive effect not diminished. Here, too, the intake must always have been correct beforehand.
In this case, you can choose between two procedures decide: For one thing, you can Bringing the pill break forward. That is, the forgotten pill is not taken subsequently. Instead, the one-week break in taking the medication is immediately followed by the menstrual period. Afterwards, continue taking the medication as usual.
On the other hand, you can take the forgotten pill as soon as possible afterwards. Also swallow the remaining tablets of the blister as usual. However, after using up the pack, do not put any pill break but start directly with the next blister. As soon as this is used up, do a as usual seven-day break.
The Pill breaks should never be longer than seven days last. For reliable protection, it is important that the pill has been taken without error for at least seven days at a time when it is first taken.