Missed pills
Missing pills or starting a pack late can make the pill less effective at preventing pregnancy. The chance of getting pregnant after missing a pill or pills depends on:
- when the pills are missed
- how many pills are missed
A pill is late when you have forgotten to take it at your usual time. You have missed a pill when it is more than 24 hours since the time you should have taken it.
Missing one pill anywhere in your pack or starting the new pack one day late isn’t a problem as you will still be protected against pregnancy (known as having contraceptive cover). However, missing two or more pills or starting the pack two or more days late (more than 48 hours late) may affect your contraceptive cover.
In particular, if you make the seven-day pill-free break longer by forgetting two or more pills, your ovaries might release an egg and there is a risk of getting pregnant. This is because your ovaries are not getting any effect from the pill during the seven-day break.
What to do if you miss a pill or pills
Follow the advice below. If you are not sure what to do, continue to take your pill and use another method of contraception, such as condoms, and seek advice as soon as possible.
If you have missed one pill, anywhere in the pack:
- take the last pill you missed now, even if it means taking two pills in one day
- continue taking the rest of the pack as usual
- you don’t need to use additional contraception, such as condoms
- take your seven-day pill-free break as normal
If you have missed two or more pills (more than 48 hours late), anywhere in the pack:
- take the last pill you missed now, even if it means taking two pills in one day
- leave any earlier missed pills
- continue taking the rest of the pack as usual and use an extra method of contraception for the next seven days
- you may need emergency contraception – see below
- you may need to start the next pack of pills without a break – see below
Emergency contraception
You may need emergency contraception if you have had unprotected sex in the previous seven days and have missed two or more pills (more than 48 hours late) in the first week of a pack.
Get advice from your contraception clinic, doctor or pharmacist about this. You can also call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 (24 hours a day) or the FPA helpline on 0845 122 8690.
Starting the next pack after missing two or more pills
If there are seven or more pills left in the pack after the last missed pill:
- finish the pack
- have the usual seven-day break
If there are fewer than seven pills left in the pack after the last missed pill:
- finish the pack and start the new one the next day, without having a break
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