Hello,


My girlfriend is wondering if she can change the time she takes her birth control pills.
As far as I know one pill provides protection for a little more than 24 hours, so if
she starts to take her pills like 5 hours later than usual we need to use
other means of contraception or not have intercourse for some time (a week?).

Changing time will be the same as starting from the beginning using pills, is that correct?


Thanks in advance,

Pyld

Pyid,

Taking a pill 5 hours later is almost like missing a day. But the thing is you want to keep doing it that way and the body clock takes awhile to get used to the change in schedule.

You have 2 choices.

1. Change the time 2.5 hours this month. And you will still be just as protected. Although to be on the safe side I would skip sex or use condoms for a week. Then the next month do it another 2.5 hours.

2. Change the time by 5 hours and then consider yourselves not protected for at least 2 weeks , but to tbe on the safe side a whole month.

Susan

I've been taking bc pills since I was 14.

There have been times when I've taken the months pills in the morning, the other days I'll forget because I was busy, and didn't take it till that afternoon or evening. I've never become preggie from it. And according to my doctor who I asked about it, as long as you take the pill that day, and with more than 6 hours till you take the next one, then you are still safe.

When you take the first pill of the pack, the effects aren't there until two days later. So keep that in mind. Also, if she skips a pill one day on accident, use extra protection for the entire month.

So, if she usually takes it in the morning, and changes it till the afternoon, there isn't a problem, just try to keep them around the same time everyday.

Annonymous,

You can go by what your doctors says - but if your read the research on birth control pills they say you should change the time no more than 4 hours. After 4 hours they still work - but not quite as well. If you want to be absolutely sure you are using birth control in the way it works best - take it the same time everyday.

Susan