At 18, can a late period be linked to birth control pills?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am an 18-year-old girl who has been on birth control for almost three full months, finishing up my green pills now. I have only missed a pill five times, and I always do what the package instructs: take it as soon as I remember, and take the next pill at my regular time.

My first two periods after starting the pill were late, but I did not have sex during those months, so I did not worry. However, in the past two weeks, I have had sex four times, and he ejaculated in me. My period is now four days late; although this happened with the other too, I am still worried. According to the internet, the pill has a 99.99 % effectiveness. Please tell me;

Does that drop because of the pills I forgot in the past months?
None of the forgotten pills were recent when I had sex. Does that matter? I have not had any of the early signs of pregnancy.
How likely is it that the late period is from the pill or stress, or pregnancy?
How early can I take a test and get an accurate result?

Kindly help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and understand your concern.

For a young lady like you, periods can get delayed as your hormonal balance is attained only when you reach 19 to 21 years. As you missed the pills but were quick enough to do the correction of the mistake, the chances of pregnancy are very low. The pills contain the same hormones that are produced in the body every month. When they are taken regularly, they suppress ovulation, so there is no chance of pregnancy. But if you ever miss the pill for more than 48 hours, that is, if you miss two consecutive pills, the hormones escape the suppression, and ovulation can occur at the time. If, incidentally, you have sex at the same time, you can get pregnant. Forgetting pills in the previous month does not affect ovulation this month.

As mentioned, missed periods can be due to stress - mental or physical. If pregnant, the urine pregnancy kit will be positive after a day of the missed pill. If negative, wait for a maximum of 7 to 10 days and check again, if there are no periods. If the test is negative, take the same birth control pills, one tablet twice a day for 10 days (have only the active pills and throw away the 21st active pill).

You will get periods within 7 to 10 days of the last pill. One more reason for you not getting periods is your weight; your expected weight is 114 to 120 lb. Once you get periods, have the next packet of birth control pills from day one of the bleeding.

Hope I have clarified your query, do write back for any more queries.

Thank you.