Expert: Bob Kambic - 4/16/2007

Question
Hello,


I am currently on Lo Ovral and have been for over a year with no problems. I have this dilemma where I am currently in Sweden and my mother attempted to send me more pills but had them sent back to her because of customs. My pills run out the beginning of May, but my boyfriend is actually flying over mid-May and he can probably bring me the pills (less strict customs).

Either way I will miss at least 10 days of pills and there is nothing I can do about it. Is it safe to immediately resume taking the pills after these 10 days even if it is not my regular schedule, or should I wait a month to resume? What sort of side effects should I expect? Also, what precautions should I take since I am sexually active / how long will I have to wait for the pills to kick in again?

Thank you for your time!

Answer
I am surprised that you cannot get pills in Sweden. You should have some kind of medical care there. Do you have the package insert with the pills right now? It should tell you what to do if you can't immediately resume pill use after you stop. With the low dosage pill you probably ovulate which means your body is doing some work on its own. It's probably best to wait to begin to take the new batch at the suggested time.