a Few Hours Late - odds of getting pregnant?

she's fine, and probably shouldn't have taken the second one, but it won't hurt I guess. Might mess up her cycle.

As long as it's a regular type of pill you can be quite late and still be protected. It might make you feel better to read the package instructions, they tell you the exact timeline for being late or missing a pill, and what to do.

No, I just mean it might make her next period weird, or make her have spotting before her period.

She is still perfectly protected. She would have been protected without taking the second pill. Like I said, you might want to thoroughly read the package instructions, to avoid worrying like this in the future. If she doesn't have them, ask her what kind of pill she's on and you can google it.

She can probably be 12 hours late and be fine.

I have heard that taking a second pill does nothing more than the first one would have been able to accomplish. Your girlfriend can check with her gynecologist regarding the effectiveness of the second pill, however, I'm pretty sure doubling up on the pill, in this case, is worthless. If anything, she will be one pill short at the end of her pack and that pill will constitute as a "missed pill" since she will not be able to take it. Even though I am certainly no doctor, I would suggest using condoms as a backup means of birth control for a week after she misses the pill (the pill she should have taken the following day, rather than at the same time as her other).


I have talked to a nurse about this because I, too, have been in a very similar circumstance and very recently at that. You should be fine. An hour and x odd minutes should not affect the effectiveness of the pill if she has been taking her pills on time, as directed. There is always a chance of pregnancy when having sex because the pill alone is not 100 percent effective. Even at it's 99.99%, there is still that %.1 that lingers in the air -- which is why abstinence is really the only 100% effective means to preventing pregnancy. If you wish to eliminate future worries, I would suggest using a condom as well. When used correctly, condoms are just about as effective as the birth control pill. If used at the same time as the pill, your chances of pregnancy are pretty much impossible.


She should be fine, but it IS important to take your pill at the same time every day.


You could have her call her gynecologist just to be safe.

Honestly, I wouldn't bother. As long as it's a regular pill with estrogen and progesterone, it's not considered missed until it's 6 or 12 hours late. Plus, if you miss a whole pill, you're still protected as long as you take it as soon as you remember.

Really, just don't worry about it. Umbrellas was right, though, if you're really concerned about pregnancy, keep condoms on hand if you want to use them with the pill or in case you miss a pill or are late.

Don't double up on a pill unless you completely miss one.

Georgia's response reminded me of something I forgot to include in mine about the doubling of pills:

Doubling up on the pill works only if the pill was considered a missed pill.
For example; Say your girlfriend takes her pill at 10 PM, forgets, goes to sleep and wakes up around 8 AM.

She should take her "missed" pill as soon as she remembers, and then take the next pill on schedule at her regular time that evening.

yep, that's what I was trying to get at.

Your best bet is just to read the instructions and refer to them whenever you are in doubt.