You forgot the pill. What is the best thing to do now? It can happen to anyone to forget to take the pill. But sometimes forgetting to take the pill can have consequences. Whether this can be the case depends entirely on the week in which you forget to take the pill. If you forget to take the pill in week 1, this requires different measures than if you forget to take the pill in week 2 or week 3. Sometimes it is advisable to immediately start the stop week, while in other cases you need to take the pill for a week longer. swallow. The moment when you start taking the pill again is also important to prevent pregnancy.
Forgot the pill, what now?
If you forget to take the pill just once, it is still possible to become pregnant. However, it depends entirely on the time and the week in which you forget to take the pill, what the chance of pregnancy is.
Within 36 hours
If you have forgotten to take the pill, you can still take the pill within thirty-six hours without any problems. This means a maximum of twelve hours ‘late’. You are then no less protected against becoming pregnant. To give an example: You take the pill every morning around 7:00 am. If you discover that you have forgotten to take the pill on that day, you have until 7:00 PM to take the pill without any consequences. So you are simply protected! You should simply take the next pill at the time you normally take it. So, for example, again the next morning at 7:00 am. It doesn’t matter that there is only twelve hours in between!
Forgetting the pill in the first week
If you forget to take the pill in the first week of the pill strip, you should still take the forgotten pill. Otherwise, continue with the pill strip as you normally would. However, you must have intercourse with a condom for the first seven days after you forget to take the pill. You are less protected against a possible pregnancy.
Even if you have had intercourse in the two days prior to taking the forgotten pill, you run the risk of being pregnant! In this case, contact your doctor.
Forgetting the pill in the second week
If you forget to take the pill in the second week of the pill strip, you should still take the forgotten pill. Even if you have to take two pills at the same time. You should continue the rest of the pill strip according to the normal schedule. This has no further consequences, and you run no risk of pregnancy. However, if you have forgotten more than one pill in the second week, it is advisable to contact your doctor.
Forgetting the pill in the third week
If the pill is forgotten in the third week of the pill strip, this can have major consequences. There are several things you can do if you forget to take the pill in the third week.
You can choose to take the forgotten pill and then take the pill for a week longer than usual. So you open a new pill strip and use seven of them. After these seven days, you start the stop week. When you do this you are protected against pregnancy. You can also choose to swallow the entire pill strip at once, so you do not have to take a break week.
You can also choose to stop taking the pill strip immediately if you forget to take the pill in the third week. You then ensure that menstruation starts earlier and are therefore protected.
If in doubt, always consult your doctor or pharmacist!
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