Family Planning Plus

Most women do not ovulate or menstruate during the first six months of exclusive breastfeeding. If you were exclusively breastfeeding (not supplementing with formula at all) for the past four months, you may not have ovulated yet and thus have not had a period yet either. In that case, as long as you’ve been taking your pills at the same time every day, pregnancy is unlikely. Missing a pill, taking it more than three hours late, or starting a new pack late will increase the risk of pregnancy. Menstrual irregularities are common with this method. Your periods may be early or late, shorter or longer, heavier or lighter than normal. You may also have some spotting between periods.

However, if you’ve been having regular periods up until now and have missed a period, pregnancy is possible. Jolivette (also called the mini-pill) contains a progestin only and  is slighly less effective that combination hormone pills (those containing both estrogen and progestin). If you are a week or more late for your period, take a pregnancy test. If it is negative, repeat the test every two weeks until you have a normal period or a positive test result. Do not stop taking your pills unless you test positive for pregnancy. Good luck!