The short explanation
What to do depends on which pill you take, how many you missed and where in the packet you are — and the progestogen-only pill and the combined pill have different rules, with a much shorter margin on most progestogen-only pills. The leaflet in your packet gives the rule for your specific pill, and a pharmacist can read it with you today.
What depends on your situation
The parts of this that change from woman to woman. Uncertainty is stated, not hidden.
- Which pill you are on is the first thing to establish, and many women do not know. The packet or the leaflet says.
- The general shape of the advice is the same across guidance: take the missed pill as soon as you remember even if that means two in one day, carry on with the rest of the packet as usual, and use condoms or avoid sex for a defined number of days depending on the pill and how many were missed. The specific numbers differ by pill, which is why the leaflet matters more than a general rule.
- Where in the packet you were matters. Missing pills near a break is treated differently from missing one in the middle, which is why the answer cannot be given without knowing.
- If you have had unprotected sex in the days around the missed pill, emergency contraception may be worth considering, and it is time-sensitive. That is a same-day question rather than a next-appointment one.
- Vomiting or severe diarrhoea within a few hours of taking a pill can mean it did not absorb, and is treated like a missed pill.
- Repeatedly missing pills is information rather than a failing. It is the clearest possible signal that a method which does not depend on remembering might suit you better.
What this answer cannot determine
The boundary of online education. These need a clinician who can see you.
- This does not tell you what to do, because the correct action depends on which pill you take and how many you missed. Read the leaflet in your packet or ask a pharmacist today.
- This cannot tell you whether you need emergency contraception. That depends on the timing, and it is time-sensitive.
- This explanation was written by AskHer's editorial team from the guidance listed under Sources. A clinician registered in India has not signed this version off yet — that is why no clinical reviewer is named at the foot of this page, and it is why nothing here is a diagnosis.
Questions for your clinician
Take these with you. You can add any of them to an appointment card.
- This is my pill and this is what I missed and when. What should I do now?
- Do I need emergency contraception?
- How many days do I need to use condoms for?
- I keep forgetting — what methods would not depend on me remembering?
- Does anything else I take make my pill less reliable?
When to seek help
Clinician-approved guidance for this topic. When in doubt, being seen is never the wrong choice.
Get help the same day
- you missed pills and have had unprotected sex in the last five days — emergency contraception loses effectiveness with every day
- you are on a combined pill and have calf pain or swelling, chest pain, breathlessness, a severe unusual headache or sudden vision changes
Book an appointment soon
- you are not sure which pill you are on
- you miss pills regularly
- your period is late after missed pills
- you started a new medicine and do not know whether it affects your pill
Sources
The evidence this explanation is built on.
- Combined contraceptive pill NHS
- Progestogen-only pill NHS
- Selected practice recommendations for contraceptive use World Health Organization
- Emergency contraception NHS
Who wrote and reviewed this
Every AskHer answer names its author. A clinically reviewed answer also names the clinician who signed it off — if no clinician is named below, it has not been clinically reviewed.
- Author
- AskHer Editorial AskHer's editorial team — not an individual clinician Works in English, தமிழ், हिन्दी
- Clinical reviewer
- Nobody yet No clinician has signed this answer off. That is what the “Editorially reviewed” badge means, and why it does not say “Clinically reviewed”. It was written and checked by AskHer’s editorial team against the sources listed above, and it is queued for a clinician who works in this area.
- Review status
- Editorially reviewed
- Last reviewed
- Last reviewed 26 August 2026
- Version
- 1
Correction history
Substantive changes are listed, not quietly edited away.
No corrections have been made since this answer was first published.
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