Birth control pills are a hormonal contraceptive method that either contains estrogen andprogestin, or only progestin.
Why Time Matters
Ovulation is your body’s release of an egg from the ovaries.
Oral contraceptive pillsinterfere with ovulationeach month during your menstrual cycle.Progestin-only pills block ovulation, and combination pills suppress ovulation.
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Your body responds to the hormones in birth control pills very quickly.
The Exception
There is an exception to when you oughta take birth control pills.
This takes place during Week 4 or the “placebo week” of your pill pack.
It is menstrual-like, but it is not a period and is not necessary from a health perspective.
Most birth control pills are combination pills.
Combination pills protect against pregnancy as long as you take one each day.
Birth control pills are most effective when taken at the same time each day.
The exception is during Week 4 or the “placebo week” of your pill pack.
However, taking them on a regular schedule helps prevent missed doses.
Progestin-only pills must be taken within a three-hour window of the same time each day.
Be sure to take traveling and Daylight Savings adjustments into account when taking oral contraceptives.
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University of Florida Health.Ask the Nurse: Women’s Health.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Progestin-only hormonal birth control: Pill and injection.
Bitzer J.Oral contraceptives in adolescent women.Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
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