Missing a Gedarel Pill

If you forget to take Gedarel, you will not be protected from pregnancy and this is one of the main ways women fall pregnant whilst using the contraceptive pill. It is best to set an alarm every day so that you do not forget to take it otherwise the pills effectiveness will be reduced and you could become pregnant. It all depends on how long has passed since you were supposed to take the contraceptive pill and which pill you missed.

If you realise you have forgotten to take Gedarel, and it is less than 12 hours since you were meant to take it, take it immediately and continue with the rest of the pack as normal. You will still be protected from pregnancy in this circumstance. However, if you are more than 12 hours late in taking a pill, you will not be protected from pregnancy. The risk of becoming pregnant increases with the number of pills missed and varies depending on where you missed the pill in the strip.

If you missed a pill in the first week of the strip, take the forgotten pill as soon as you remember, even if this does mean taking two pills in one day. This will not cause you any harm. You should then continue with your pack and use extra protection for seven days. It is important to remember that missing the first pill in the pack runs the greatest risk of falling pregnant and so if you forget to start your new pack, you need to contact your doctor.

If you miss a pill in week 2 of the pill, again take the pill as soon as you remember, even if it means taking more than one pill in a day. If you have missed one pill during this time, you should still be protected from pregnancy and do not need additional protection.

If you forget to take a pill in the third week of the pill, there are two options. You can take the missed pill straight away and continue with the rest of the pack. When you get to the end of the pack, you should start a new strip straight away thereby missing out the withdrawal bleed. You may experience bleeding or spotting during the second strip of pills and at the end of the second strip you should have a withdrawal bleed. If you do not have a bleed, contact your doctor. The other option is disregard the rest of the pack and treat the next seven days as your pill free week. Make sure however, that you take the next strip exactly a week later because your dates will have changed.

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