I've been on hormonal birth control pills for a while now and have never had any concerns about remembering to take them. I usually pick a time before I go to bed, taking them between 10:15 and 10:30 every day.

During my latest visit to my gynecologist, I asked in passing what is considered an official missed pill--is it late after ten minutes? Twenty? An hour?

She couldn't give me a direct answer, instead stressing again the importance of taking the pill at the same time every day.

Which is all a roundabout way of asking: has anyone heard or read anything conclusive regarding exactly how close to the same time every day birth control pills need to be taken to be effective? Is a woman taking them between eight and nine-thirty technically missing a pill every day? I'm curious to see if anyone has any more information than I do.