What Happens When You Start Taking Birth Control On The First Day Of Your Period

Using the pill is like shooting fish in a barrel: just eat a tiny pill every twenty-four hour period. Here's the info on how to start birth control pills, the unlike types of pills, and what to do if you lot miss a nascency command pill.

What are the different types of birth command pills?

At that place are 2 types of birth control pills (combination pills and progestin-simply pills), and many dissimilar brands.

Combination Pills (COCs):

As long as you accept 1 pill every day, you'll be protected from pregnancy. Y'all don't have to take your combination pill at the exact same time every day. But taking it at the same time is a good idea considering it helps continue y'all in the addiction of remembering your pill.

Progestin-But Pills (aka POPs or Mini Pills):

Progestin-only pills take 1 kind of hormone (progestin) — these pills don't have whatsoever estrogen. You must take your progestin-only pill within the same three hours every day to be protected from pregnancy.

The 1 exception is Slynd (a dissimilar type of progestin-only pill): you don't need to take Slynd within the aforementioned 3-hour window every day, but it'southward best to take it around the same time if y'all can to assistance proceed you on schedule.

How do I use the unlike types of nascency control pills?

Combination Pills (COCs):

As long as you lot take 1 pill every twenty-four hours, you'll be protected from pregnancy. You don't have to take your combination pill at the verbal aforementioned time every day. But taking information technology at the same time is a expert idea because it helps keep y'all in the addiction of remembering your pill. You can also use an alert, calendar reminder, or our nascence control app to help you retrieve. Most combination pills come in 28-day or 21-day packs.

If you have 28-twenty-four hour period packs:

Take one pill every day for 28 days (iv weeks) in a row, and and so start a new pack on day 29. The terminal pills in 28-day packs of combination pills practice non have hormones in them. These pills are called "reminder" or "placebo" pills — they assist remind you to take your pill every twenty-four hours and starting time your next pack on time. How many days you accept hormone-free reminder pills depends on the brand of pill. Nearly pill packs have hormone-complimentary pills for 7 days, just sometimes at that place are less. The reminder pills may contain iron or other supplements. Y'all become your period during the week you take these reminder pills. You'll still be protected from pregnancy fifty-fifty if you lot don't have the reminder pills — only remember to outset your side by side pack on time.

If you have 21-day packs:

Take 1 pill every day for 21 days (3 weeks) in a row. So don't take any pills for seven days (week 4). You'll go your period during the fourth week while you aren't taking whatever pills. It'south important to accept every pill in a 21-solar day pack because there are no reminder (hormone-free) pills. The hormone pills volition prevent pregnancy even if you have sexual practice during the week when yous don't have any pills. Get-go your next pack after non taking your pills for 7 days — you may desire to use an alarm or reminder to assistance you stay on track.

If you lot have 91-day packs:

Some combination pills take 12 weeks (three months) of hormone pills in a row, followed by up to 1 week of hormone-gratuitous reminder pills. This is so you'll only have your period once every 3 months. The hormones volition prevent pregnancy even if you take sex during the reminder pill week. You can likewise apply other pill brands to skip your period past skipping the reminder pills. Read more than almost how to employ pills to skip your period.

Progestin-Only Pills (aka POPs or Mini Pills):

You must take progestin-simply pills inside the same 3 hours every day to be protected from pregnancy. For example, if you have your progestin-simply pill at 12:00 p.m., taking it subsequently 3:00 p.k. the next twenty-four hours puts you at chance for pregnancy. Alarms, reminders, or nativity control apps can help you have your pill on fourth dimension.

Progestin-only pills merely come up in 28-day (4 calendar week) packs. All 28 pills have hormones. You must take every pill in a progestin-only pack to be protected from pregnancy — there is no hormone-free week. You may go your flow during the fourth week. You could too have bleeding on and off throughout the calendar month (spotting), or become no catamenia at all.

There's as well a new type of progestin-only pill called Slynd that'southward a fiddling dissimilar than other POPs. Slynd packs have 24 "active" hormone pills and iv hormone-gratuitous "reminder" (placebo) pills. And yous don't need to take Slynd within the aforementioned iii hours every day — as long as you take one pill every day, you'll be protected from pregnancy.

How do I use the pill to stop my period?

Skipping your flow with the combination pill is condom and super easy. Basically y'all just have a pill with hormones every day and skip your hormone-gratis "reminder" pills. You tin can practise this ii ways:

Yous can utilise a brand of pills that has 3 months of hormone pills in a row, so you lot only get your period iv times a year.
You can skip the hormone-free reminder pills in your pack and jump correct to the side by side pack. You tin can do this every month, or simply whenever you want to skip your period.

Y'all may have some bleeding or spotting when you utilize the pill to skip your menstruation — that's totally normal. If you skip your hormone-free week every month, the spotting should go away afterward well-nigh 6 months.

There'due south nothing dangerous or harmful near using the pill to skip your catamenia. And information technology comes in really handy if you lot want a special occasion (similar a vacation or a hot date) to be period-free.

You can only skip your period with combination pills. If y'all're using a progestin-only pill (POP or Mini Pill), you need to take every pill in your pill pack.

What practise I do if I missed a birth control pill?

The pill works all-time if you lot have it every twenty-four hour period on schedule, but almost everyone on the pill forgets to take it sometimes. Knowing what to exercise when you miss a birth control pill is important.

Here's a handy tool to help you figure out what to do if you miss a pill. You lot'll need to know the make proper name of the pill you're on in order to apply this tool. You lot can find the name on your pill pack or by calling your doctor or the drugstore where you got it.

If you tin can't find out the name of your pill, use a rubber anytime you take vaginal sex until y'all tin can talk with your nurse or doctor. If yous've already had sex in the last five days since making a pill mistake, you may desire to apply emergency contraception.

If yous're on Slynd (a type of progestin-only pill) and you miss i white hormone pill, have your missed pill equally soon as possible, and then take your next pill when you were normally supposed to — that might hateful taking 2 pills in 1 solar day. If you miss 2 or more than white pills, take the most recent pill you missed as soon as possible, and go on taking 1 pill a mean solar day until you cease the pack (1 or more than of your older missed pills will exist left in the pack). If you miss 2 or more than white pills and take penis-in-vagina sex within the side by side 7 days, utilize a backup method of birth control (like condoms). If you miss one or more green reminder pills, just throw abroad the green pills you missed and keep taking 1 pill a twenty-four hour period until y'all finish the pack.

When tin I start taking birth command pills?

You can first taking birth control pills equally soon as you get them — whatever day of the week, and anytime during your menstrual wheel. Merely when you lot'll be protected from pregnancy depends on when you outset and the kind of pill you're using. Yous may need to use a backup birth control method (like condoms) for up to the offset 7 days.

Talk with your nurse or doctor virtually the best time for you to kickoff taking the pill.

Combination Pills (COCs):

You tin can start the combination pill at any time.

If you commencement taking combination pills inside v days after your menstruum starts, you'll exist protected from pregnancy right away. For instance, if yous get your menses Mon morning, yous can start the pill someday until Sabbatum morning and exist protected from pregnancy correct abroad.
If you start combination pills any other fourth dimension, y'all need to take the pill for 7 days before you're protected from pregnancy. Employ some other method of nascence control — like a rubber — if yous have penis-in-vagina sex activity during the first week on the pill.

Progestin-Only Pills (POPs or Mini Pills):

You lot can start progestin-only pills at any time. Yous'll exist protected from pregnancy later on 48 hours (2 days) on the pill. If you have penis-in-vagina sex activity during those first two days, utilise another method of nativity control, like a condom.

Yous must take progestin-but pills at the same fourth dimension every solar day. If you take it more than than 3 hours past your usual time, use a backup method of birth command for the side by side 48 hours (2 days).

A new type of progestin-but pill called Slynd works a little differently. If you start taking Slynd within the first 5 days of your period, you'll exist protected from pregnancy right away. If you first taking Slynd at whatever other time in your cycle, apply some other method of birth control (similar condoms) if you have penis-in-vagina sex during the first 7 days. And you don't demand to have Slynd within the aforementioned 3 hours every day, like you practice with other progestin-simply pills.

Starting the Pill After Pregnancy:

Y'all can get pregnant once again shortly afterwards being meaning, so talk with your nurse or doctor most starting your birth control as soon as you can.

You can start taking the progestin-just pill right after an abortion, miscarriage, or childbirth.

You lot can starting time taking the combination pill right after an ballgame or miscarriage. In general, you lot tin start taking the combination pill 3 weeks afterwards giving birth (simply wait 3 weeks whether you're breastfeeding or not). Read more about breastfeeding and birth control pills.

What do I do if I want to go pregnant?

If you decide you want to get pregnant, just terminate taking the pill. No affair what kind of birth command pill you lot're on, it's possible to get meaning correct after you end taking it. It tin can take a few months for your catamenia to become back to the cycle yous had before y'all started taking the pill, but you can still get pregnant during that time.