Do you have to take birth control pills at the exact same time every day in order for them to be effective or can you let it vary by a certain amount of time?

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It actually DOES matter when you take your birth control pills. Most birth control information sheets are attached to what the pills actually come in, and most all of them will tell you that you must take the pill at the SAME time EVERY day. The reason is that when you take your pill you are then putting the hormones in your body that prevent pregnancy. When you take the pill that day the levels of those hormones start out consistant and if you take your pill the same time everyday then there are no ups and downs of those hormone levels. If you forget to take your pill one day or wait past your usual time by even a few hours, those hormone levels will drop and could potentially cause you to ovulate (release an egg)which in turn if you decide to have sexual intercourse during that time you could become pregnant. Even if you forget to take it and remember a couple of hours later or even many hours later, you should still continue to take it. Just make sure that you are very careful when you have sex and keep in mind that by forgetting to take them at a set time or forgetting to take them at all, you are putting yourself at risk for pregnancy. Remember that the best advice will come from the inserts in your pill packets, do what they say and you should be fine.

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First answer by ID1108985910. Last edit by ID1108985910. Question popularity: 46 [recommend question].