How come if i forget 1 pill i'm not protected but i can have week off every 3 weeks..

[the underground babe]

OK, I have a couple of questions regarding the pill. I've checked out the rest of the birth control forum but got no luck. I’m on the combined pill at the moment and was wondering:-

* How come if you forget to take 1 pill you are unprotected for a week and have to use other contraception for a week but at the end of the 3 week cycle you can have a week off and you are fully protected?

* I was told by my doctor that if you forget to take a pill mid-month continue to take the pill but use other contraception for one week. Fair enough, you are unprotected for a week. However, I was also told that if you forget to take a pill when there are fewer than 7 pills left in the pack have your ‘week off’ early. Does this mean you are unprotected and have to use other contraception for a week (like when you normally forget to take the pill mid-month) or are you protected (as it is technically your ‘week off’)?

* Does taking extra vitamins, iron and cod liver oil effect the pill?

* If you take the pill during the ‘week off’ because say you’re on holiday on something and you don’t want to have your period then you would have started your new pack early. This may sound silly but do you have the next ‘week off’ at the end of the pack (i.e. in 2 weeks) or at the end of another 3 weeks (i.e. one week into your next pack).

Please help me!

[Brandye]

!. You are not regulating days individually; you are regulating your entire menstrual cycle. Contraceptive pills are designed to work with your normal hormones to trick your body into not releasing eggs or, in some cases, not allowing a fertilized egg to implant in your uterus. The female body has a more or less normal 28 day cycle and the built up lining of the uterus (preparing for pregnancy) needs to be shed. That is your menstrual period.

If you miss a mid-month pill, you may ovulate (lay an egg) and you will be fertile for a few days. That is why you need backup for a missed pill. During the time you have a week off, you are menstruating and the hormone mix is such that you will not ovulate then.

There are drug interactions with the birth control pill. The biggest cause of "failure" is taking anti-biotics. Whenever a doctor prescribes these (any of them), you should advise her you are on the pill. You most likely will be told to use alternative birth control through your cycle and feel protected after you next period. Chamomille tea will render the pill ineffective as will megadosing vitamin E. Virtually all the herbal "remedies" for depression (St John's Wart, etc) counter the pill. Tell your doctor about EVERY supplement and medication you take.

Women have and do "regulate" their periods by taking extra pills. I have seen this happen for athletic competition, holiday, weddings and god-knows-what. It should be discussed with your doctor and should not be a frequent habit. A downside of the pill is that it can increase the likelihood pregnancy when not taken as directed. You doctor will likely recommend that once you start a pack, complete it. Remember some pills give you a week off, some have a placebo for seven days and some change their formulation for seven days. The use of each of these to "regulate" your period is different. Talk to your doctor before messing around.

[youngjulia]

wow i had no idea the chamomille tea had any effect! luckily i do not drink it but i am quite dissapointed the my doctor didn't mention this to me. also i read all the literature that came with my BC pills (yasmin) and it said nothing about this! this seems like something that all women should know and i have a feeling that a lot of them don't! thanks brandye for sharing this important information

[Brandye]

here is a partial and important list:

Drugs decreasing Oral Contraceptive efficacy
See Antiepileptic Drug Interactions in Contraception
Rifampin (Rifadin) signicantly reduces OCP efficacy
Other antibiotics effect OCP efficacy less
Amoxicillin
Ampicillin
Erythromycin
Fluconazole (Diflucan)
Griseofulvin
Itraconazole (Sporanox)
Ketoconazole (Nizoral)
Metronidazole (Flagyl)
Ritonavir
St John's Wort (results in breakthrough bleeding)
Tetracycline
Troglitazone (Rezulin)


Drugs with decreased efficacy when taken with OCP
Clofibrate (Atromid-S)
Lorazepam (Ativan)
Oxazepam (Serax)
Salicylates
Temazepam (Restoril)


Drugs potentiated by Oral Contraceptives
Benzodiazepines
Alprazolam (Xanax)
Chlordiazepoxide (Librium)
Diazepam (Valium)
Flurazepam (Dalmane)
Triazolam (Halcion)
Beta Blockers
Caffeine
Corticosteroids
Hydrocortisone
Methylprednisolone
Prednisolone
Prednisone
Theophylline (monitor levels)
Tricyclic Antidepressants (monitor levels)

These are prescription drugs mostly. There are other supplements that can have effects on birth control hormones.

[youngjulia]

wow
youd think they would include this info with the pill :S
thanks so much brandye that is really helpful

[the underground babe]

Thank you for your help Brandye, i feel much better now and feel i actually understand what i'm taking!

Many thanks