Your contraception guide

If you've lost a contraceptive pill, you can replace it with another pill from the same packet, or one from a different packet.

How you do this depends on which type of contraceptive pill you take.

The types of pill include:

• the 21-day combined pill, such as Microgynon 30. You take a pill each day for 21 days, followed by 7 days without pills, which is when you have your period
• the 28-day or every-day (ED) combined pill, such as Logynon ED. You take a pill every day. For 21 days you take an "active" pill each day. For the next 7 days you take an "inactive" (dummy or placebo) pill each day, which is when you have your period
• the progestogen-only pill (POP), such as Norgeston. You take a pill every day

21-day combined pill

If you've lost one of these:

• take the last pill in the packet instead
• take the rest of the pills on their correct days
• you'll reach the end of your packet sooner, but this will not affect your contraception

Or, to avoid changing the day you start your next packet:

• take a pill from another packet to replace the pill that's missing
• take the remaining pills as normal on their correct days
• keep the packet you took the pill from as a spare, in case you lose any more pills

28-day or every-day (ED) pill

You need to know which pills are active and which pills are inactive (dummy or placebo). 

If you've lost an active pill:

• take the last active pill in the packet instead
• take the remaining active pills as normal on their correct days
• you'll reach the inactive pills sooner, but this will not affect your contraception

Or, to avoid changing the day you start your next packet:

• take an active pill from another packet to replace the pill that's missing
• take all the remaining pills as normal on their correct days
• keep the packet you took the pill from as a spare, in case you lose any more pills

If you've lost an inactive pill:

• you do not need to replace it, just continue taking the remaining inactive pills on their correct days; your contraception will not be affected
• you'll start your next packet on the usual day

Progestogen-only pill (POP)

If you've lost a pill:

• take the last pill in the packet instead
• take the remaining pills on their correct days
• you'll reach the end of your packet sooner, but this will not affect your contraception

Or, to avoid changing the day you start your next packet:

• take a pill from another packet to replace the pill that's missing
• take the remaining pills as normal on their correct days
• keep the packet you took the pill from as a spare, in case you lose any more pills

Getting advice

If you're taking a phasic contraceptive pill, where the amount of hormones in the pills varies throughout the packet, or you're not sure what to do, you can get advice from:

• contraception clinics or sexual health clinics
• pharmacists
• NHS walk-in centres
• a GP
• NHS 111

Find sexual health services near you