[Callee]

So the stresses of work and school I guess got to me this week and I missed my pill 3 days in a row (tuesday, wednesday, thursday) and didnt realize til this morning so I took 2. I had sex wednesday afternoon (so after missing 2) without a condom. He withdrew, but I'm still slightly concerned and I'm wondering if I should go ahead and take Plan B to be on the safe side (they say you can take it up to 3-5 days after) I just worry because I've heard of some people having bad side effects with Plan B, such as a period lasting for 10+ days, or it interfering with birth control (which I'm not sure is true or not) any thoughts?

[ItsASecret]

Plan B will mess your cycles up no matter who or when you take it. It contains several times the dose of regular birth control and hence it is only advised as an emergency contraceptive. But if you are unsure of things you can take it within 72 hours of having sex, after that it is basically not going to work as well.

As for missing 3 pills in a row, the prescription will state that missing three pills in a row means you must restart the whole package of birth control pills. However since you already took 2 pills it is basically restarting everything and you will likely now have to continue taking your birth control as though you have started a whole new pack, so your placebo pills will be taken later. But you may want to call a nurse at a health facility, or even a pharmacist for their opinion. Missing that many pills will automatically drop the effectiveness of the pill, but if you have taken it regularly on other days it is not so bad. The problem is if you skip pills frequently or take them at random times thus creating a random array of effectiveness. Missing pills though DOES NOT mean you will get pregnant, it simply means there is a greater chance because there is less of the pill in your body due to missing them.

You will really need to find a way to take the pills regularly though. Many women will set alarms on their phones, computer, watches anything really to remind them. You can put the pill packets in a location you know you will go to at a regular time like beside your tooth brush in the morning so you always take your pill when you brush your teeth. Whatever the method you use you must be consistent. I am a University student and I know that school can get in the way and accumulate massive amounts of stress and I too have skipped a pill here and there but as long as you stay consistent things are generally okay.

[Callee]

Hey there, thanks for the reply. I am normally VERY consistent with my birth control, take my pills at the same time every morning when I wake up and all that. It was after missing 2 that I had sex then missed my 3rd pill the next day. I was considering calling the pharmacist tomorrow to ask about the situation/plan b, but I guess I was just trying to figure out if I'm really at that much more of an increased risk, especially since he withdrew as well. I also don't want to be naive and think I'm okay if I could use the extra help.