Should you take the morning after pill if you're on the birth control pill?

Rarely is it necessary to take the morning after pill if you're on the birth control pill. If you're taking your birth control pill correctly, taking the morning after pill in addition does not further reduce your risk of pregnancy, but it does increase your chance of experiencing side effects.

Next Choice and Plan B, and other levonorgestrel emergency contraceptive pills, do not interact with birth control, so you can take them at the same time. You just continue taking the birth control pill on schedule, without regard to bleeding.

But you may not need the morning after pill if you're on the birth control pill:

If you're on a combination pill with 30 or 35 mcg of estrogen

• If you missed one or two pills or started the new pack one or two days late, there is no reason to use the morning after pill, and you don't need additional protection against pregnancy.
• If you missed three or more active pills, or started the pack three days late, or had sex before you had taken seven pills during your very first pack, be sure to take additional steps to prevent pregnancy. Use the morning after pill if you already had sex. Use condoms or abstain from vaginal sex until you've taken the pill correctly for seven days in a row. If you're in the last week (days 15-21) of active pills, don't skip a week (Days 22-28 or use inactive pills), go straight to the new pill packet - again 7 pills in 7 days.

 

If you're on a combination pill with 20 mcg of estrogen or less

• If you missed one pill or started the new pack one day late, there is no reason to use the morning after pill, and you don't need additional protection against pregnancy.
• If you missed two or more active pills, or started the pack two days late, or had sex before you had taken seven pills during your very first pack, be sure to take additional steps to prevent pregnancy. Use the morning after pill if you already had sex. Use condoms or abstain from vaginal sex until you've taken the pill correctly for seven days in a row. If you're in the last week (days 15-21) of active pills, don't skip a week (Days 22-28 or use inactive pills), go straight to the new pill packet - again 7 pills in 7 days.

 

If you're on the progesterone-only pill

• Consider using the morning after pill if you're late with your pill by more than three hours.