Facebook Pixel
Q: 

Missed birth control pills...

By May 10, 2010 - 5:15pm
 
Rate This

I took orthocyclen for about 3 years and last month my doctor switched me to Mononessa. I start my packs on Sundays and I missed Wed-Sun of the first week of this pack. Its only my second month with Mononessa. What should I do? Is there a chance I could get pregnant if I had sex without any other form of contraceptive on the Sunday (the 5th day of missed pill)?

Add a Comment4 Comments

Yes, this helps a lot. Thank you so much

May 12, 2010 - 4:19am

Yes, you got it right. When would I be able to find out if I got pregnant or not? Should I continue to take my pills until I know for sure?

May 11, 2010 - 4:14pm
(reply to hope_renee)

The earliest you could take a home pregnancy test to find out if you are pregnant or not is during the time you would expect your normal period; about 2 weeks after ovulation.

If you choose to continue taking your pills, they have not been shown to cause any harm to the fetus (if you are pregnant).

Does this help?

May 11, 2010 - 9:37pm

Hi, Hope_Renee,

So if I have this right, this is the order of things:

Sunday (Day 1) started new pack
Mon, Tue (Days 2,3) took pills
Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun (Days 4-8) missed pills
Sun (Day 8) had unprotected sex

Is that right? I'm a little confused because you said you are a Sunday starter but that the following Sunday (the day you had sex) was day 5. Do I have things right?

I would have to say that yes, there's a chance you might have gotten pregnant. Here's why. Birth control pills stop ovulation. By missing several, your body may have ovulated. Ovulation (in a woman with a "normal" cycle of 28 days happens around days 12-14. And since sperm can live for about 3 days, you add 3 days on the front of that; since an egg can live for about 36 days, you add a day or two on the back of that. That means a woman's "fertility window" is somewhere between days 9-15. Since you had sex on day 8, you might be fine. But if you ovulated a couple of days later, it would be possible for a pregnancy to occur.

Here's what the directions are for missing one or more Mononessa pills, from drugs.com:

-- If you miss one "active" pill, take two pills on the day that you remember. Then take one pill per day for the rest of the pack.

-- If you miss two "active" pills in a row in week one or two, take two pills per day for two days in a row. Then take one pill per day for the rest of the pack. Use back-up birth control for at least 7 days following the missed pills.

-- If you miss two "active" pills in a row in week three, or if you miss three pills in a row during any of the first 3 weeks, throw out the rest of the pack and start a new one the same day if you are a Day 1 starter. If you are a Sunday starter, keep taking a pill every day until Sunday. On Sunday, throw out the rest of the pack and start a new one that day.

-- If you miss two or more pills, you may not have a period during the month. If you miss a period for two months in a row, call your doctor because you might be pregnant.

--If you miss any reminder pills, throw them away and keep taking one pill per day until the pack is empty. You do not need back-up birth control if you miss a reminder pill.

Does that help a little? Here's where that info is:

http://www.drugs.com/mtm/mononessa.html#ixzz0ndnGIZ5D

If I got the days wrong at the beginning of this post, please correct me and we'll figure it all out again. But maybe this info on Mononessa will help you figure out what to do in the meantime.

May 11, 2010 - 9:57am
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
By submitting this form, you agree to EmpowHER's terms of service and privacy policy
Add a Comment

All user-generated information on this site is the opinion of its author only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. Members and guests are responsible for their own posts and the potential consequences of those posts detailed in our Terms of Service.

Sexual Health

Get Email Updates

Resource Centers

Related Checklists

Sexual Health Guide

HERWriter Guide

Have a question? We're here to help. Ask the Community.

ASK

Health Newsletter

Receive the latest and greatest in women's health and wellness from EmpowHER - for free!