3 Ways To Make Up for a Missed Birth Control Pill

1. No Worry With Just One

First determine if the forgotten pill was hormonal (active) or non-hormonal (inactive). If it was an active pill, take it as soon as it's remembered, and then take the next pill at the usual time. Take two pills at the same time if the missed pill isn't noticed sooner. When this only happens once during a cycle, it's nothing to worry about. Hormone levels still remain high enough to prevent ovulation, so no additional or emergency contraception is needed. Continue to take the pills daily and start a new pack on the appropriate day. If you have forgotten your first pill of the month, follow the same procedure to make up the missed pill. But in this case it would be prudent to use another method of birth control for seven days, just to be safe.

2. Backup to Prevent Pregnancy

If two pills are forgotten in the first two weeks of the cycle, take one as soon as you remember, or take two at your regular time. The next day, take two pills at your regular time, and then continue with taking a pill daily. If this occurred during the third week of your cycle, continue to take one pill a day, but when you finish the active pills, begin with a new pack. You should use an alternate form of birth control, such as condoms, until you have taken seven consecutive days of active pills. If you had unprotected sex in the time that you hadn't taken your birth control pills, you might consider calling your doctor for emergency contraception within four days of having unprotected sex, so time is of the essence. When three pills in a row are missed at any time during the cycle, continue to take one pill a day until the day of the week that you would normally start a new pack (usually Sunday) and begin with a new pack of pills. Use an alternate method of contraception for two weeks.

3. Consider Another Method

Inactive pills in a 28-day pack are taken the week of menstruation, and their function is merely to continue the pattern of taking a pill each day at the same time. They do not need to be made up; just continue taking one at your regular time and start a new pack of pills on the day you normally would. Discard any unused, inactive pills. If you find that you are frequently forgetting to take your birth control pills, consider another form of birth control. Birth control pills prevent pregnancy very effectively, but only if they are taken at the same time, every day.