What should I do if I miss a combined contraceptive pill?

If you are less than 24 hours late, take the pill now and continue as normal, no backup contraception is needed. If you are 24 hours or more late (one missed pill), take it now, continue your pack, and use condoms for 7 days. If you have missed two or more pills, take the most recent one immediately, leave any earlier missed pills, continue your pack, and use condoms for 7 days. If there are fewer than 7 pills left in your pack, skip the pill-free break and start the next pack straight away.

What should I do if I miss a mini-pill (progestogen-only pill)?

If you are more than 3 hours late (or more than 12 hours late for desogestrel brands like Cerazette), it is considered a missed pill. Take the missed pill as soon as you remember and use condoms for the next 48 hours. If you have had unprotected sex during the at-risk period, consider emergency contraception.

Do I need emergency contraception if I miss the pill?

You may need emergency contraception if: you missed two or more combined pills AND had unprotected sex in the 7 days before missing them; or if you missed a mini-pill AND had unprotected sex during the at-risk period. Emergency contraception is most effective the sooner it is taken. Contact your GP, pharmacist, or sexual health clinic as soon as possible.

What is the riskiest time to miss a pill?

Missing pills just before or just after the pill-free break is highest risk. The pill-free break is already a planned hormone gap of up to 7 days. If you also miss pills at the end of the previous pack or the start of the new one, the total gap without active hormones can exceed 7 days, long enough for ovulation to potentially occur.

If I miss a pill, do I need to use condoms?

For the combined pill: backup contraception (condoms) is needed for 7 days if you are 24+ hours late or have missed 2+ pills. For the mini-pill: use condoms for 48 hours after a missed pill. If you are less than 24 hours late on the combined pill, or within the window for your mini-pill type, no extra contraception is needed.

Missed Pill Rules by Pill Type: Combined, Mini-Pill and Drospirenone

The rules for a missed contraceptive pill vary by pill type — and within the progestogen-only category, by brand. This page is a complete reference organised by pill type: combined pill, traditional progestogen-only pill (3-hour window brands), desogestrel (12-hour window brands such as Cerazette or Cerelle), and drospirenone. Use it to look up the rules for your specific pill.

Other guides in this series

Not sure which guide you need? Start at the hub — it routes you to the right page for your situation. Just realised you may have missed one? Immediate next steps: identify your pill, record what happened, find the right leaflet, get the right support. Looking for scenario-based guidance? What to do by pack position, number of pills missed, or a new pack started late.

First: Know Your Pill Type

There are two main types of contraceptive pill, and the rules differ significantly between them.

Combined pill, contains both oestrogen and progestogen. You typically take it for 21 days followed by a 7-day pill-free break (or 28 days with 7 inactive placebo pills). Common brands include Microgynon, Rigevidon, Yasmin, Cilique, Femodene, and Marvelon.

Progestogen-only pill (mini-pill), contains only progestogen. Taken every day without a break. Much shorter protection window: 3 hours for most brands, or 12 hours for desogestrel-based brands (like Cerazette, Cerelle). Common brands include Norgeston and Noriday.

Missing a Combined Pill

Less than 24 hours late

Continue your pack as normal

Take the missed pill as soon as you remember, even if it means taking two pills in one day. Continue the rest of your pack as normal. No backup contraception needed.

24 hours or more late, one missed pill

Take it now and use backup contraception

Take the missed pill immediately, even if it means taking two in one day. Continue your pack as normal. Use condoms for the next 7 days. If there are fewer than 7 pills left in your pack after the missed one, skip the pill-free break and start the next pack straight away.

Two or more missed pills

Take the most recent one and use backup contraception

Take the most recently missed pill immediately, leave any earlier missed pills. Continue your pack. Use condoms for the next 7 days. If there are fewer than 7 pills remaining, skip the pill-free break. If you had unprotected sex in the 7 days before missing pills, consider emergency contraception.

Missing a Progestogen-Only Pill (Mini-Pill)

Within your window (3h most brands / 12h desogestrel)

Continue your pack as normal

Take the pill now and continue as normal. No backup contraception needed.

Outside your window

Take it now and use backup contraception

Take the missed pill as soon as you remember. Use condoms for the next 48 hours. If you have had unprotected sex during the at-risk period, consider emergency contraception.

Missing a Drospirenone Progestogen-Only Pill

Drospirenone progestogen-only pill (UK brand: Slinda) has a 24-hour missed-pill window — the same as the combined pill, but without an active pill-free break. The Slinda pack contains 24 active pills followed by 4 placebo tablets. Note: Eloine is a combined pill containing ethinylestradiol and drospirenone; it follows combined pill missed-dose rules, not the guidance below.

Less than 24 hours late

Continue your pack as normal

Take the pill as soon as you remember, even if it means taking two pills in one day. Continue the rest of your pack as normal. No backup contraception needed.

24 hours or more late

Take it now and use backup contraception

Take the missed pill immediately and continue your pack. Use condoms for the next 7 days. If you had unprotected sex during the at-risk period, check with your pharmacist, GP, or sexual health service about whether emergency contraception is needed. Refer to your patient leaflet or consult your pharmacist for full guidance specific to drospirenone.

Why the Pill-Free Break Matters

Missing pills near your pill-free break is the highest-risk scenario

The pill-free break is a planned hormone gap of up to 7 days. If you also miss pills immediately before the break ends or after a new pack starts, the total time without active hormones can exceed 7 days, long enough for ovulation to potentially occur in some women. Always be extra careful at the start and end of your pack, and skip the break if you've missed pills near it.

Estroclic's calendar view makes this easy to monitor: you can see at a glance where your break week falls, which pills you've taken, and whether there are any gaps near the break.

Your Protection Window in Estroclic

Track with Estroclic

Keep a clear record of your pill schedule

Estroclic records your pill schedule and dose times. If you need to speak to a pharmacist, GP, or sexual health service about a missed pill, you have an accurate timeline of what happened and when — not a reconstruction from memory. Your Pack Summary in the Insights tab shows pills taken and any gaps for the current cycle, and you can export a PDF cycle report to share with a healthcare professional if needed.

Download on Android

When to Use Emergency Contraception

Consider emergency contraception (such as levonorgestrel, e.g. Levonelle, or ulipristal acetate, e.g. EllaOne) if:

You missed two or more combined pills and had unprotected sex in the 7 days before missing them
You missed a mini-pill and had unprotected sex during the at-risk period
You are uncertain about your protection status

Emergency contraception is most effective the sooner it is taken. It is not a regular method of contraception. Contact your GP, pharmacist, or sexual health clinic as soon as possible.

Quick Reference

Scenario	Action	Backup contraception?
Combined pill, less than 24h late	Take it now, continue pack	No
Combined pill, 24h+ late (1 pill)	Take it now, continue pack. Skip break if <7 pills left.	Yes, 7 days
Combined pill, 2+ missed pills	Take most recent only, leave others. Skip break if <7 pills left.	Yes, 7 days
Traditional mini-pill (e.g. Norgeston, Noriday), within 3h window	Take it now, continue	No
Traditional mini-pill, outside 3h window	Take it now, continue	Yes, 48 hours
Desogestrel (e.g. Cerazette, Cerelle), within 12h window	Take it now, continue	No
Desogestrel, outside 12h window	Take it now, continue	Yes, 48 hours
Drospirenone (e.g. Slinda), less than 24h late	Take it now, continue pack	No
Drospirenone, 24h or more late	Take it now, continue pack	Yes, 7 days

This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, pharmaceutical, or clinical advice. The information presented summarises published research and guidance at the time of writing and may not reflect the most current guidance in your country or for your individual circumstances. Always consult your doctor, gynecologist, pharmacist, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any decisions about your contraception or health. Estroclic is a personal tracking app, not a medical device or clinical service.

Sources

Faculty of Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH). Combined Hormonal Contraception guideline, 2019 (updated 2023), missed pill rules, pill-free break, emergency contraception thresholds. fsrh.org
Faculty of Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH). Progestogen-only Pills guideline, 2022, missed pill rules (3h and 12h windows), 48h backup contraception. fsrh.org
NHS. Combined pill, missed pills. nhs.uk
NHS. Progestogen-only pill, missed pills. nhs.uk