protection continuous when switching?
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protection continuous when switching?
| Sat, 05-01-2004 - 5:27am |
Hi,
Just a curiousity question - when you swith your brand of pill, is the protection from pregnancy continuous from your last month of brand #1 to the first month of brand #2? Also, if you stop taking the pills for a few months, and then start up again - at what point are you protected?
Thanks!
K

If you have been taking your previous pills correctly then you should be protected immediately when you begin your new ones if it hasn't been more than 7 24-hour days between the last active pill in your old pack and the first active of the new pills. Switching pills should be covered in the patient info. leaflet that comes with your pills. Some women use back-up when switching just for peace of mind. If you stop hormonal BC for several months, or more than 7 days, actually, it's like starting all over as far as being protected is concerned. If you start on the first day of your period you are protected immediately, if you start on the first Sunday after your period then you are protected after 7 days. It is different with the Patch and the Ring. When you are starting either the patch or ring you should use back-up for 7 days regardless of when you start whether it's your first time on hormones or if you are just switching.
Good luck
Jill