Expired birth control pills won’t make you sick, but they may not work as well.
Unlike some expired foods, expired birth control pills won’t necessarily make you sick, but they do work less well over time. If you’re relying on the pill to prevent pregnancy, taking expired pills could result in unplanned pregnancy.
The expiration date of your birth control is usually easy to find. It should be printed on the packaging, typically including the month and year of its expiration. The pills are good until the end of the month listed.
How you store your birth control pills also matters. Keeping your pills somewhere that’s too hot, cold, or humid can lead to early expiration. Instead, store them somewhere dry and at room temperature, like the drawer of your nightstand. Your car isn’t a great place to store birth control pills, particularly in summer, because they can be exposed to direct sunlight and become really hot.
And by the way, the same applies for emergency contraception pills — like all medicines, they eventually expire. So be sure to check the date on the package before using.
If your birth control has expired, reach out to your nearest Planned Parenthood health center for a new prescription as soon as you can. In the meantime, use condoms or another form of contraception if you want to avoid pregnancy. You can also check out Opill, the first over-the-counter birth control pill available online and at retail stores.
Tags: birth control pills, pill