What to do if you miss a dose of your contraceptive pill

Many people ask us what they should do if they miss taking their contraceptive pill. Here’s an easy to follow graphic, to help you decide your best course of action if you have forgotten to take your pill.

Written by Hywel McGlinchy, Pharmacist / Content Writer · Medically reviewed by Karim Nassar, Co-Founder, Pharmacist & Author

Published 27 January 2018 · Updated 20 December 2023 · 1 min read

In short

Many people ask us what they should do if they miss taking their contraceptive pill.
Here’s an easy to follow graphic, to help you decide your best course of action if you have forgotten to take your pill.
In this article, we explore more about Contraception and take a look at the following topic:What to do if you miss a dose of your contraceptive pill .

Sources

References

3 sources were selected to match the subject of this article. Link destinations were checked twice when added. This does not mean every statement has been individually source-mapped or clinically approved.

What to do if you miss a combined pill or take an extra one
NHS · HTML · NHS contraception guidance · Link destination checked 5 September 2026
Emergency contraception
NHS · HTML · NHS contraception guidance · Link destination checked 5 September 2026
Progestogen-only pill
NHS · HTML · NHS contraception guidance · Link destination checked 5 September 2026

Reference links open the cited source pages. If you spot something out of date, tell our content team.

Who wrote this

Written and reviewed by our team

Authored by

Hywel McGlinchy

Pharmacist / Content Writer

GPhC Registration 2215744 · verify

Hywel has been a registered pharmacist since 2017; he started with Simple Online Pharmacy in 2020. Hywel was responsible for helping review and author accurate site content. He worked with our GPs to make sure all aspects of the medications mentioned are covered.

Read Hywel’s profile

Medically reviewed by

Karim Nassar

Co-Founder, Pharmacist & Author

GPhC 2064752 · verify

Karim is a registered pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and was a founding member of Simple Online Healthcare in 2015. With a Master of Pharmacy degree from Strathclyde University, Karim brings a strong foundation in pharmaceutical care and a passion for leveraging digital solutions to improve patient access to healthcare.

Read Karim’s profile

Published

27 January 2018

Last medically reviewed

5 September 2026

Sources cited

See 3 references

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