5 Ways to Remember to Take Birth Control Pills

1. Count on Your Cell Phone to Help You Remember

Most everyone carries a cell phone these days. Set your cell phone alarm to alert you to when it's time to take your birth control pill. Choose a time that you can take it every day, and make sure it's during a time that you'll hear it like when you're putting on your makeup or getting breakfast. If you set the alarm for when you might be in the shower or preoccupied getting children dressed and ready for school, you might miss the alarm and the pill for the day.

2. Take Your Birth Control Pills with Food

Take your pill during one of your meals. The catch to this method is that you have to make sure you're actually eating this chosen meal every day. If you know you're a consistent breakfast eater, take your pill with breakfast every day. If dinner is on the table every night at a set time, it would be a fitting time to take your pill.

3. Pop a Pill at Bedtime

Most people seem to go to bed at roughly the same time of night. Making bedtime your official pill taking time is a good way to remember to take your pill. Place your birth control pills on a nightstand with a glass of water and take them just as you lie down for bed if you're certain you're going to bed at a consistent time every night. Or, you can add a step into your bedtime routine. Just as you remember to brush your teeth at a certain time every night before bed, you can add a quick pill toss into the routine.

4. Create a New Habit

Make taking your pill a routine, or better yet, a habit. The effectiveness of oral contraceptives reduces when you take your pill at different times every day. So, stick to your weekday routine as much as possible on the weekends. If you know your schedule is going to be crazy one day, rely on an alarm clock to remind you to take your pill.

5. Custom Contraceptive Alarm

There are oral contraceptive pill containers now that have built in alarms in them. Ask your pharmacy if they carry them, or do a quick search online for 'contraceptive alarm' to purchase one of your own.