What do I do if I miss a birth control pill?

What happens if I miss a birth control pill?

Here’s a handy tool to help you figure out what to do if you miss a pill. You’ll need to know the brand name of the pill you’re on in order to use this tool. You can find the name on your pill pack or by calling your doctor or the drugstore where you got it.   

If you're on Slynd, see below for instructions.

If you can’t find out the name of your pill, use a condom anytime you have vaginal sex until you can talk with your nurse or doctor. If you’ve already had sex in the last 5 days since making a pill mistake, you may want to use emergency contraception.

What do I do if I miss a Slynd pill?

Here’s what to do if you’re on Slynd (a newer type of progestin-only pill) and you miss a pill: 

• If you miss 1 white hormone pill: take your missed pill as soon as possible, and then take your next pill when you were normally supposed to — that might mean taking 2 pills in 1 day. You don’t need backup birth control.
• If you miss 2 or more white pills: take the most recent pill that you missed as soon as possible, and keep taking 1 pill a day until you finish the pack (1 or more of your older missed pills will be left in the pack). Use a backup method of birth control (like condoms) for the next 7 days. 
• If you miss any green reminder pills: you can throw them away. Keep taking 1 pill a day until you finish the pack. Start a new pack the day after you finish your old pack. You don’t need backup birth control as long as you start your new pack on schedule. If you didn’t start your next pack when you were supposed to, and it’s been more than 5 days after your period started, use a backup method of birth control (like condoms) for the next 7 days.