WOMEN’S BODIES: TAKING ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE PILL
What is the best way to take the Pill?
All packs contain detailed instructions on how to start and continue taking the Pill. Read and follow these instructions carefully. They may seem a bit complicated at first, but once you start you’ll find that it’s easy. If you are unsure about any aspect of taking the Pill, contact your doctor or a Family Planning Centre.
Some tips to help you take the Pill properly
• When you first start, study and get to know your pack. All packs are well designed so that you can tell at a glance which is the right tablet to take on any particular day.
• Make a habit of taking your Pill at the same time each day. Combine it with some other habit that is routine, such as brushing your teeth at bedtime.
• It doesn’t matter when you take the Pill in relation to food. You can take it on a full or an empty stomach.
• Never take your Pill in the dark. If you’re already in bed and remember that you haven’t taken your Pill, put the light on to take it. You must be able to see the pack so that you’ll know you’re taking the right tablet for that day.
• Keep an eye on your supply so that you don’t run out. Prescriptions are usually written for 12 months’ supply, which is dispensed in three lots of four packs. When you start on the last pack of a prescription, arrange an appointment to get another so that it can be dispensed in plenty of time for you to start the next cycle on the right day. Starting a cycle even one day late can reduce the Pill’s effectiveness.
• Keep a spare pack of your Pills in the toilet bag that you take when you’re away from home, in case you leave in a hurry and forget your current pack. If you know your pack design it will be easy for you to find where you’re up to and the right Pill to take.
• If you’re travelling by air over time zones and your 24-hour schedule is disturbed, it is better to take your next Pill early than late.
What to do if you miss a Pill
The leaflet in each pack tells you what to do in case of missed Pills. In case you can’t find it, here are the Family Planning Association’s (FPA’s) recommendations.
• If you are late in taking a Pill, but less than 12 hours late, take it as soon as you remember, take the next Pill on time and continue the pack.
•If you are more than 12 hours late or have missed more than one Pill, take one Pill when you remember and the next Pill at the correct time. Then continue the pack as usual and use another method of contraception as well as the Pill for the following seven days. If you have less than seven hormone Pills left in your current pack, you should miss out on the Pill-free week (or the ‘dummy’ pill section) and go straight on to the hormone Pills in your next pack. If you miss one or more Pills, you may have some withdrawal bleeding. Follow the instructions above whether or not you bleed. You should have another withdrawal bleed at the end of the cycle you go on with after the missed Pill. If not, see your doctor to rule out pregnancy.
If you are unsure about these instructions, contact your doctor or Family Planning Centre. The most dangerous Pills to miss are those at the beginning and end of the hormone cycle. Anything that makes the break between hormone cycles longer than seven days can reduce the effectiveness of the Pill.
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