a Few Hours Late - odds of getting pregnant? Posted: 12-16-07 20:41pm
My girlfriend took her birth control pill
about an hour and a half late...then we
had sex...so she took another one for my
sake of not worrying....this is the FIRST
ever pill shes been late on.... what are
the odds of this getting her
pregnant...please help... thanks
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Georgia59
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Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 5320 Location: Along the Mississippi, USA
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Posted: 12-16-07 20:55pm
she's fine, and probably shouldn't have
taken the second one, but it won't hurt I
guess. Might mess up her cycle.
As long as it's a regular type of pill you
can be quite late and still be protected.
It might make you feel better to read the
package instructions, they tell you the
exact timeline for being late or missing a
pill, and what to do.
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BigGuy18
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 09 Aug 2007 Posts: 14
Posted: 12-16-07 21:28pm
Georgia59
wrote:
she's fine, and probably
shouldn't have taken the second one, but
it won't hurt I guess. Might mess up her
cycle.
As long as it's a regular type of pill you
can be quite late and still be protected.
It might make you feel better to read the
package instructions, they tell you the
exact timeline for being late or missing a
pill, and what to
do.
will it make her more likely to get
pregnant since she took the 2nd one? is
that what you mean by "her cycle"???
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Georgia59
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Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 5320 Location: Along the Mississippi, USA
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Posted: 12-16-07 21:37pm
No, I just mean it might make her next
period weird, or make her have spotting
before her period.
She is still perfectly protected. She
would have been protected without taking
the second pill. Like I said, you might
want to thoroughly read the package
instructions, to avoid worrying like this
in the future. If she doesn't have them,
ask her what kind of pill she's on and you
can google it.
She can probably be 12 hours late and be
fine.
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umbrellas
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 13 Dec 2007 Posts: 19
Posted: 12-17-07 14:23pm
I have heard that taking a second pill
does nothing more than the first one would
have been able to accomplish. Your
girlfriend can check with her gynecologist
regarding the effectiveness of the second
pill, however, I'm pretty sure doubling up
on the pill, in this case, is worthless.
If anything, she will be one pill short at
the end of her pack and that pill will
constitute as a "missed pill" since she
will not be able to take it. Even though I
am certainly no doctor, I would suggest
using condoms as a backup means of birth
control for a week after she misses the
pill (the pill she should have taken the
following day, rather than at the same
time as her other).
I have talked to a nurse about this
because I, too, have been in a very
similar circumstance and very recently at
that. You should be fine. An hour and x
odd minutes should not affect the
effectiveness of the pill if she has been
taking her pills on time, as directed.
There is always a chance of pregnancy when
having sex because the pill alone is not
100 percent effective. Even at it's
99.99%, there is still that %.1 that
lingers in the air -- which is why
abstinence is really the only 100%
effective means to preventing pregnancy.
If you wish to eliminate future worries, I
would suggest using a condom as well. When
used correctly, condoms are just about as
effective as the birth control pill. If
used at the same time as the pill, your
chances of pregnancy are pretty much
impossible.
She should be fine, but it IS important to
take your pill at the same time every
day.
You could have her call her gynecologist
just to be safe.
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Georgia59
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Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 5320 Location: Along the Mississippi, USA
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Posted: 12-17-07 14:30pm
Honestly, I wouldn't bother. As long as
it's a regular pill with estrogen and
progesterone, it's not considered missed
until it's 6 or 12 hours late. Plus, if
you miss a whole pill, you're still
protected as long as you take it as soon
as you remember.
Really, just don't worry about it.
Umbrellas was right, though, if you're
really concerned about pregnancy, keep
condoms on hand if you want to use them
with the pill or in case you miss a pill
or are late.
Don't double up on a pill unless you
completely miss one.
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umbrellas
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 13 Dec 2007 Posts: 19
Posted: 12-17-07 15:49pm
Georgia's response reminded me of
something I forgot to include in mine
about the doubling of pills:
Doubling up on the pill works only if the
pill was considered a missed pill.
For example; Say your girlfriend takes her
pill at 10 PM, forgets, goes to sleep and
wakes up around 8 AM.
She should take her "missed" pill as soon
as she remembers, and then take the next
pill on schedule at her regular time that
evening.
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Georgia59
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Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 5320 Location: Along the Mississippi, USA
Thanks: 62
Thanked:28
Posted: 12-17-07 16:03pm
yep, that's what I was trying to get at.
Your best bet is just to read the
instructions and refer to them whenever
you are in doubt.
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