Progesterone only pills ( POP ): missed pills guidance FSRH

For effective contraceptive protection, it's crucial to use the Progestogen-only Pill (POP) correctly.

If someone uses the POP incorrectly, they should:

Understand that its effectiveness depends on consistent use.

Consider alternative contraceptive methods like LARC.

Assess if emergency contraception (EC) is needed.

Ideally, users of any POP should take their pill at roughly the same time each day.

With Desogestrel (DSG) POP:

Ovulation is suppressed even if a pill is taken up to 12 hours late.

With Drospirenone (DRSP) POP:

Ovulation remains suppressed if a pill is taken up to 24 hours late.

Traditional POPs differ:

They don't consistently suppress ovulation; ovulation might occur in around 4 out of 10 cycles.

If taken more than 3 hours late (over 27 hours between pills), its contraceptive effect, which works by altering cervical mucus, might be lost.

When using traditional POP or DSG POP correctly:

Pills are taken continuously without a hormone-free interval (HFI).

The changed cervical mucus stops sperm from entering the upper genital tract.

Sperm in the lower genital tract can only live for a few hours.

This means if a traditional or DSG POP pill is missed, intercourse that occurred prior to missing the pill isn't considered a pregnancy...