Forgetting a Marvelon Pill

Incorrect use or missing a pill is the main cause of pregnancy whilst using Marvelon. The pill works by maintaining a constant flow of hormones so if you forget to take a pill, it will disrupt this level and increase the risk of becoming pregnant. The risk of pregnancy depends on how many pills you miss and when you miss them in the cycle.

You will still be protected from pregnancy if you forget to take a pill but it has been less than 12 hours since you were supposed to take it. You need to follow the following instructions if this is the case. You should take the missed pill immediately and continue with the rest of the pack. In this case, the pills effectiveness should not be affected.

However, if you miss a pill and it is more than 12 hours late or you miss more than one pill, you will not be protected from pregnancy. Take the pill that you most recently missed and ignore all the previously missed pills. This may mean that you take more than one contraceptive pill in one day but this should not cause you any harm. You should continue with the rest of the pack as normal and use additional contraception for the next seven days. You should also check how many pills you have left until your withdrawal bleed because this number will determine what your next step should be.

If you have more than seven pills left in the pack, follow the instructions above and continue as normal. However, if there is less than seven days left in the pack, when you come to the end of the strip, start a new one immediately. You will miss your withdrawal bleed week and continue taking pills to help protect you from pregnancy.

If you have had unprotected sex in the time that you missed Marvelon pills, you need to contact your doctor. The highest risk of pregnancy is if you have missed any pills in the first seven days of the strip and you may be advised to use the emergency contraceptive pill.

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