timeing ofthe pill

[mcsgirl]

okay

i'm going to visit my long distance boyfriend for a week
the week before i see him is my period (i see him on a saturday and i get my period the monday before)
i'm on the pill and have been for a few years but i messed up my cycle this month (great timeing right?)
i've started a new cycle already to catch up
i read on my pill's brand site taht if i choose the Day 1 method and take a white pill the first day of my period it will be effective right away and i wont NEED to use a condom 5 days later when i see my boyfriend
can anyone confirm or clarify this? i realize a condom is my option if there is any doubt but i'd like to not have to use it if ther's a way i dont have to

[demonbuttercup]

I thought you said you would already have finished a pack before then??
Besides, if you have messed up your cycle this month... how do you know for sure that you will start your period on Monday??

[sera300]

This is like sorting out a riddle. What exactly did you do? How many pills did you skip last month? Which pills did you miss? I am assuming you currently have your cycle and began the new pack on day 1 of your period? Need some more info. to figure it out.

[mcsgirl]

i missed my first four pills of my cycle

[mcsgirl]

what i'm asking is - is the Day 1 method of taking the pill on the first day of my period 9no matter what day it is!) effective right away

[sera300]

Okay, so you skipped/missed four pills from your last pack. Now you have your menst. cycle and you began a new pack of pills, the first pill in the pack you have taken on day 1 of your period. If the manufacturer states they can be taken this way & it's effective, then it should be fine. I know when my Gyn switched my BCP's (been on & of them for 20+ years) I asked when they were effective. He told me depends on the particular pill, the newer ones which he prescibed were effective from the first day, I had been accustomed to the older ones where you had to wait one full cycle. So, to answer your original question I have had similar experiences w/the pill and if the manufacturer gives these guidelines for efficacy you should be good to go. If you are in doubt use another form of BC to be certain, such as VCF's. I find them to be less "intrusive" then condoms for back up contraceptive purposes; especially when I messed up the pills.

[demonbuttercup]

Yea some brands say that....ok so if you missed the first 4 pills of your cycle...what did you do then?? below is what my brand, Ortho Tricyclen Lo says.....

If you MISS 3 OR MORE white, light blue, or dark blue "active" pills in a row in WEEK 1, WEEK 2 or WEEK 3 :
Keep taking 1 pill every day until Sunday only if you are a Sunday Starter. On Sunday, THROW OUT the rest of the pack and start a new pack of pills that same day. However, if you are a Day 1 Starter, THROW OUT the rest of the pill pack and start a new pack that same day. You may not have your period this month, but this is to be expected. However, if you miss your period 2 months in a row, call your healthcare professional because you might be pregnant.

You COULD BECOME PREGNANT if you have sex in the 7 days after you miss 2 or more pills. You MUST use another birth control method (such as condoms or spermicide) as a backup method during those 7 days.

But even if you missed some from the last pack... you have been taking them... if anything your period might come later??maybe since you extended the days of your cycle.
The day 1 applies to the very FIRST pack.... but you have already been taking a pack..right?
so technically you are on your second pack.
The package insert says that...then you should be ok.
I was just paranoid when I first started...so I did like 2 packs...b/c my very first pack, I had breakthrough bleeding like 2 weeks, then I got my period when I was supposed to....and then when I started that 2nd pack, the bleeding stopped...and I was on a normal cycle.

Like Sera says... if you feel comfortable..go for it, if in doubt, use a backup... doesn't necessarliy have to be a condom if you guys are clear on the STD issue... could just use a spermicidal insert/foam/jelly.

[mcsgirl]

thank you both - i have been on the pill for a few years now and this one pack is the only time i've been thrown off

you both helped alot i jus needed as much reassurance as possible because i only get one week with him until i won't see him again for a few months so i want it to go as smoothly as possible

neither of us have STD's : i know that is 100% true