Hormonal Contraception: The Pill [General Discussion]

Look, this might be a stupid question, and I'm sure someone else has already asked it here...🤦 ...

Yesterday, I went to take my pill and it slipped right down the kitchen sink drain. Instead of panicking, I just took the one meant for tomorrow. Now I'm stuck wondering... since I'll eventually be one pill short at the end of the pack, what’s the move?
Should I just go grab a whole new pack just to replace that single missed dose? 😕

Look, just drink it like you always do—you’ll end up finishing a day early, and maybe your period shows up a day sooner too. Then everything's fine.

Grace Jones3 said:Look, just drink it like you always do—you’ll end up finishing a day early, and maybe your period shows up a day sooner too. Then everything's fine.

Really? You sure it's all good? The box has a specific count for a reason, and missing one makes me nervous...🤷 ...

Look, you aren't "missing" anything—you're just gonna end up quitting early. It’s like thinking you can change when your period actually starts; like, if you want it to show up sooner, you just take fewer pills. That's how it works.

Grace Jones3 said:Look, you aren't "missing" anything—you're just gonna end up quitting early. It’s like thinking you can change when your period actually starts; like, if you want it to show up sooner, you just take fewer pills. That's how it works.

Great, thanks so much. I had no idea that was how it worked; I always just finished the whole pack. Thanks again. I promise I'll stay far away from any drains from now on😁.

Has anyone here actually used
Looking for some real-world experiences.

My gynecologist told me birth control protects you from pregnancy starting on day one. However, I started taking them right at the end of my period—not the first day, just when it actually arrived. I was honestly surprised to see the instructions say to start on the first day of your cycle, yet she told me to just take them now 🤷

I wanted to ask you all something. Does taking these pills have any impact on a baby's health if you conceive immediately after stopping? I heard a story yesterday about a woman having issues with her baby; apparently, she’ll need surgery right after birth to have some kind of tube inserted behind the ear to prevent head growth (I’m not sure if I understood that correctly). Anyway, my godmother and mom concluded it must be because she took the pills inconsistently or stopped them too soon, and that it's supposedly unsafe to get pregnant for at least six months after quitting 😕 I haven't heard anything like that anywhere, nor did I see it in the instructions or hear it from my doctor. Does anyone here know anything about this?

I think there’s already been some talk about this here, and honestly, some doctors suggest taking a break from the pill while others totally disagree 🤷

That said, I don't really believe those hormones stick around forever. They kind of just "cancel themselves out" if you happen to miss a pill or two, since they wouldn't even stay in your system after a couple of weeks anyway...

Well, I have FINALLY officially retired from birth control. Honestly, I’ve been counting down the days. I see some people claiming that being on the pill actually works against unwanted hair growth, but if I’m being completely honest, I was far too busy enjoying my life to worry about that while I was taking them. Luckily, I’m a natural blonde—that fair, light type—so it’s not incredibly obvious, though I do notice a slight shadow on my face once I apply foundation.
But here is what has been weighing on my mind 🙂: If these hormones were the reason for the extra hair, does that mean the hair should also start to recede now that I’m stopping? It seems to me that hair is a constant cycle of regrowth and shedding; if there isn't a hormonal surge driving it out, then logically, there shouldn't be as much to deal with. That’s just my own internal reasoning, anyway 🙂. Can anyone back that up for me?

And another thing... the same logic applies to weight. I’ve put on maybe ten pounds—at least according to my own scale, even if others say it isn't that noticeable—and I can't help but wonder if those pills were the primary culprit. If they caused the weight gain, perhaps it will be just as easy to shed once the hormones aren't actively supporting that extra mass. Obviously, diet and exercise are still the heavy lifters here, but it feels like the uphill battle might be a bit less steep now that the main offenders are out of the picture.

Does anyone have any actual experience that could shed some light on this? This feels like a whole new chapter of my life, starting fresh without the pills, so I want to understand everything so I can properly plan my next moves and get things moving in the right direction.🙂

Hey there.
I’ve been taking Logest for about 7 days now and haven't really felt much—no side effects worth mentioning. Just a tiny bit of nausea right after that first pill, but nothing else. Quick question though—I drink kombucha tea (from the mushroom) quite often, and I was wondering if that actually interferes with how the pills work?🤷

casualbear17 said:Look, this might be a stupid question, and I'm sure someone else has already asked it here...🤦 ...

Yesterday, I went to take my pill and it slipped right down the kitchen sink drain. Instead of panicking, I just took the one meant for tomorrow. Now I'm stuck wondering... since I'll eventually be one pill short at the end of the pack, what’s the move?
Should I just go grab a whole new pack just to replace that single missed dose? 😕

Look, I don't want to freak you out—and honestly, I can't speak for every single brand out there—but I'm on Yaz, and with my specific pack, you really have to finish the whole thing. For me, my period starts about four days after I finish that last pill, so completing the cycle is super important! I really hope you aren't on Yaz and that other brands work differently... -.-

Karen Peterson8 said:My gynecologist told me birth control protects you from pregnancy starting on day one. However, I started taking them right at the end of my period—not the first day, just when it actually arrived. I was honestly surprised to see the instructions say to start on the first day of your cycle, yet she told me to just take them now 🤷

I wanted to ask you all something. Does taking these pills have any impact on a baby's health if you conceive immediately after stopping? I heard a story yesterday about a woman having issues with her baby; apparently, she’ll need surgery right after birth to have some kind of tube inserted behind the ear to prevent head growth (I’m not sure if I understood that correctly). Anyway, my godmother and mom concluded it must be because she took the pills inconsistently or stopped them too soon, and that it's supposedly unsafe to get pregnant for at least six months after quitting 😕 I haven't heard anything like that anywhere, nor did I see it in the instructions or hear it from my doctor. Does anyone here know anything about this?

I had to stop taking mine because I needed surgery, and the anesthesiologist required me to be off them for three weeks—so I'm assuming by then your system is pretty much cleared out, since that's definitely what they want during anesthesia. But as for whether that's enough time to safely conceive? Honestly, I wouldn't know. You really ought to ask a specialist.

shadowbear49 said:I had to stop taking mine because I needed surgery, and the anesthesiologist required me to be off them for three weeks—so I'm assuming by then your system is pretty much cleared out, since that's definitely what they want during anesthesia. But as for whether that's enough time to safely conceive? Honestly, I wouldn't know. You really ought to ask a specialist.

In my experience, I stopped the pill and was pregnant within four months, ended up having a perfectly healthy baby, so 🤷

And as for that whole thing about fallopian tubes, yeah, maybe, but there could be a million other reasons for that too.

I have a dilemma. I’m taking Logest (on the good days) and I’m supposed to start a new pack tonight, but my period hasn't arrived yet. I’ll take a test just to be safe, even though I don't think I'm pregnant. What now? If the test comes back negative, should I still start the new pack tonight or wait?

Look, here’s the deal. According to the instructions from the OB-GYN—you know, the actual pros—if you haven't gotten your period yet but you’ve been popping those pills religiously, the chances of being pregnant are basically zero. They say you just go ahead and start the next pack like nothing happened.

shadowbear49 said:Look, I don't want to freak you out—and honestly, I can't speak for every single brand out there—but I'm on Yaz, and with my specific pack, you really have to finish the whole thing. For me, my period starts about four days after I finish that last pill, so completing the cycle is super important! I really hope you aren't on Yaz and that other brands work differently... -.-

Well, you're definitely being a bit alarming here. While it's true that most pills require you to finish the full cycle, if someone misses a dose—like what happened in this situation—missing just one wouldn't necessarily throw everything off; her cycle might just shift by a day, or maybe nothing changes at all.

Walter Anderson13 said:I have a dilemma. I’m taking Logest (on the good days) and I’m supposed to start a new pack tonight, but my period hasn't arrived yet. I’ll take a test just to be safe, even though I don't think I'm pregnant. What now? If the test comes back negative, should I still start the new pack tonight or wait?

If the test is negative, then yeah, you should definitely just keep going and start the next pack. And if you miss your period again next month despite a negative test, that's probably when you should check in with your doctor.

Hey everyone. Quick question—does the effectiveness of birth control pills take a hit if I’m running about 45 minutes to an hour late with my dose? Usually, I take mine at 4:15 PM, but a few times lately, things have gotten busy and I didn't get around to it until 5:00. 🤷
I accidentally tossed the instructions in the trash earlier. 😬
Thanks!

That particular moment doesn't really carry much weight in the grand scheme of things—so, I suppose you shouldn't worry about it too much.

Thanks. So, I pretty much wrapped up my Logest pack on Tuesday, and today I started getting this brownish discharge—should that be my period starting? Last one was back on September 23rd.😕

So, I took my last Diane pill on Sunday and still haven't gotten my period. Is that actually normal or what?
It’s only been about a month since I started the Diane pills. If nothing happens by Monday, should I just keep going with the next pack on Monday or skip it?
And honestly, could it be because of that one time I missed my dose? I usually take it at 9 PM, but that once I didn't get to it until 7 AM the next morning.