Forgetting to Take Loestrin

The pills effectiveness can be reduced if you miss a pill and you may not be protected from pregnancy if you do so. It all depends on when you forgot to take it and how many pills you forgot to take. In the case of Loestrin, if you miss one pill in the pack, you will still be protected from pregnancy. However, if you miss more than one pill, you risk becoming pregnant.

If you have missed one pill, take that pill as soon as you realize which may mean that you take more than one pill in a day. This will not cause you any harm and you should still be protected from pregnancy. You should carry on taking the rest of the strip as normal.

If you miss two or more than two pills, the effectiveness of the pill will be reduced. You need to take the last missed pill and disregard any earlier missed pills. Continue taking the pack as normal and use extra protection for the next seven days. If you have had unprotected sex during the time that you have missed the pills, there is a chance that you could be pregnant.

If you missed two or more pills in the strip and you have more than seven left before you finish the pack, follow the instructions above and then have your withdrawal bleed. However, if you have less than seven pills left, you need to finish the pack and move straight onto the next pack without taking a withdrawal bleed. You should have a withdrawal bleed at the end of the second strip but if you don’t you need to contact your doctor.

What else make Loestrin less effective?

Aside from missing the pill, there are two other things that can make the pill less effective. One is certain medications can stop the pill from working properly so you need to tell your doctor if you are using any other medication. Also, if you vomit or have diarrhoea whilst taking the pill, you might not be protected. If this happens, the pill may not have absorbed into your blood stream properly. You should continue to take the pill as normal but you will need to use extra protection just in case for the next seven days after your illness

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