Family Planning Plus

The directions specify to take the colored pills first because these are the pills that contain the active ingredients. The active pills contain the hormones estrogen & progestin. (These hormones are naturally found in your body and help to regulate your menstrual cycle.) The placebo or sugar pills(which are probably the white ones), are inactive and do not contain any hormones. When taken correctly, the pill pack is designed to give you 21 consecutive days of hormone pills, then 7 days of hormone free pills. After you begin the hormone free pills, you body senses that its not getting the estrogen and progestin. Therefore, you have a bleed (period). The birth control pills provide you with 28 days of protection. Taking pills out of sequence does affect your birth control. Since you started your hormone free pills first, you are/were not protected from pregnancy.

If you have had unprotected intercourse during that time, you may want to consider taking Plan B. You would also want to begin taking the colored pills on a daily basis. It takes at least 7 days of daily use for the birth control pills to become effective. Use a condom or abstain from intercourse for the remainder of this pill pack,  just to be safe.  After your next period, begin a new pack on time. You may want to write yourself a reminder about starting the colored (active) pills first. Since you started your pills incorrectly, you may notice some irregular spotting or bleeding during the current pill pack. This should correct itself within the next month or two.

If your next period is more than 1 week late (especially if you’ve had unprotected sex), you should perform a pregnancy test, either at home or in a clinic. Family Planning offers Plan B, gynecological exams, birth control and STD testing for little to no cost, depending on your household size & income.