Expert: Lyndsay Mercier - 6/28/2008

Question
i am on yasmin 21 tablets and i need to delay my period, so i took 21 tablets and 7 tablets from a new pack...now i stop taking, thinking that this is 7 days tablet free week....but i am now on 3rd day and still no period for me...should i be worried and take a test??? what should i do??

Answer
Lyn,

I'm not a doctor, so I can't tell you for certain, but this is what I think-

You really can't "delay" your period, you are supposed to skip it entirely when it is inconvenient. What I mean is, you were correct to skip the "7-days-free" week and just go straight to the new pack, BUT after that you are supposed to just continue on with the new pack, and not take the "7-days-free" at this point. I believe this is because in doing this, you are skipping your period and beginning a new cycle entirely. Therefore, your period won't be due for another few weeks. I am on the patch, and it works that way- If I want to skip my period, instead of having a "patch-off week" I just go straight to my next cycle of patches, but I don't get my period until that cycle's "patch-off week" three weeks later. I am pretty certain the pill works this way as well.

Now, I'm not entirely 100% on this one, but I'm concerned that since you've now gone three days without your pills in the beginning/middle of a new cycle that you have unknowingly put yourself at risk for becoming pregnant. If you've had unprotected sex within the last 5 days, you can go get Emergency Contraception to reduce your chances of becoming pregnant if you aren't already. If you aren't pregnant, you need to continue taking your pills and use a back-up method of birth control, such as condoms, for at least a week or two.

Good luck,

Lyndsay