I guess it depends on what kind you are going to be using. Alot of pills say use backup for 7 days if you dont start within 24hrs of the 1st day of your period...but i guess it can differ. check with your doctor and/or pharmacist to make sure

Yeah- a week with most kinds.

My dr told me to start the first sunday after i got my period and she also told me that i had to be on if for two weeks before it would be fully effective!

thank you it's been helpful. but if any of you are on ortho-cept (desogen) let me know. that's what i'm going to be on.

Ummm...you shouldn't start before your period! You should start after... but your dr should/should of told you already how long you should use a back-up method!

You can start before your period. There's nothing wrong with that.

Ortho cept is the same as apri, cyclessa, mircette, and desogen. It is just a combined hormone drug, so the standard rules apply.

~First day of period start- Take it on the first day of bleeding, you are protected instantly.

~Sunday start- take it on sunday, you are protected after 7 days

~Any other day start- take it whenever the heck you want, you are protected after seven days.

Just a little tip:

If it were true that you are protected istantly when you take the first pill the first day you start bleeding my little sister wouldn't be here. So i'm not so sure about that...

my period is supposed to start in 2 weeks... will it just not come till i take the placebos?

Ideally, yes. But you might have some spotting when you first start.

No matter when you start, it will take your body a little while to follow the pill schedule perfectly.

i took the first pill a few hours ago, so wish me luck! so far so good...

I am on Solia, which I was told is the generic for Desogen. I am on my 3rd pack and my acne is horrible! I am not sure if you are worried about acne or not.

Just thought I would share.