Pill timing and international travel

[Curiosity]

Hi @Nurse_Nettie
I am curious to pill effectiveness and international travel. I am aware that it is most effective to take the pill within 2 hours of the same time every day, but what do you do when you are travelling internationally? Does this reduce the effectiveness when the time taken is changed? Does this increase the chance of an unplanned pregnancy?

[Nurse_Nettie]

Great question @Caiti.You’re right, if you are travelling internationally you do need to be sure to take the pill consistently to avoid an unplanned pregnancy. You could do this by setting an alarm and taking the pill at the same time as you would at home. Of course, depending on where you are travelling this may not be practical solution if it meant  you ended up taking your pill in the middle of the night!. In this case, you could try altering the time you take the pill gradually during the week or so before leaving so that you ended up taking it at a convenient time during your trip away. The most important thing is not to take the pill more than 24 hours later than your usual time. Two hours is not a problem at all. It won’t increase your risk of unplanned pregnancy. 

[Kit]

Oh wow, I had never even thought about that

[mak_trouble891]

Wow! I had never even considered this. So glad I know that 🙂

[Author]

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