For missed combination oral contraceptive pills

• If you missed 1 pill (by 24-48 hours) or are simply late taking 1 pill (for less than 24 hours) you should:
  • Take the missed or late pill as soon as possible
  • Continue taking the remaining pills at your usual time (even if this means taking 2 pills on the same day)
  • No additional contraceptive protection is needed, but it is never a bad idea to use barrier methods (condoms) to decrease the chance of STIs/STDs
• If you missed 2 or more consecutive pills (more than 48 hours have passed since you took a pill)
  • Take the most recent missed pill as soon as possible and discard the other missed pills
  • Continue taking your pills at your usual time (even if this means taking 2 pills on the same day)
  • Use back-up contraception (external or internal condoms) or avoid sexual activity until you have taken 7 consecutive days of the hormone pills
• If the pills you missed were in the last week of the hormone pills
  • Skip the hormone-free (placebo) pills by finishing the hormone pills in the current pack and immediately start your next pack of pills
  • If you are unable to start a new pill pack, use back-up contraception (external or internal condoms) or avoid sexual intercourse until you have taken 7 consecutive days of the hormone pills.
• For missed progestin-only pills “mini-pills”:
  • Take 1 pill as soon as possible
  • Continue taking your pills at your usual time
  • Use back-up contraception (external or internal condoms) or avoid intercourse for at least 2 days
  • Emergency contraception should be considered if within the past 5 days you have engaged in sexual behavior that can cause pregnancy

• Plan B needs to be used within 72 hours (3 days) after unprotected intercourse or birth control failure.  Plan B is available without a prescription at the CSU Health Network pharmacy.
• The sooner you take it the better it works.
• It will not work if you are already pregnant. Some women taking Plan B One-Step may have changes in their period, such as spotting or bleeding before their next period. If your period is more than a week late, you should get a pregnancy test and follow up with a healthcare professional.
• Plan B One-Step is available for any woman who needs it—with no age restriction per federal regulation. It is available without a prescription at the pharmacy in the Health Network building. You need to ask the pharmacist for the medication. This is the same for many local pharmacies as well.

The most reliable time to take a pregnancy test is once you have missed a period.  Take a test with first morning urine if possible. If you take a test and it is negative but your period still does not come you should repeat the test in a few days and schedule an appointment at the CSU Health Network Sexual and Reproductive Services Clinic for evaluation. If the test is positive schedule an appointment with us as well to discuss pregnancy options.

• Depending on your  complaint, it is highly likely you will need a pelvic exam during your appointment. Pelvic exams are not painful for the majority of people but they can be awkward for many. We have trained assistants for breast and pelvic exams that are available to help make you more comfortable.
• The provider will ask a lot of questions about your health in general, and especially your reproductive and sexual health. Please be honest with us; it helps us to provide the best care when we have all the information. And don’t worry- there are very (very) few things we have not heard before.
• Also, we don’t care if you have or have not shaved your legs or any other body parts.

When results are available, you will receive an email message stating that you have information available in the Health Network Portal. Please follow the link and log into the portal to find your results.