Expert: Bob Kambic - 4/22/2007

Question
My girlfriend has just started taking the pill (Diane 35). She has never taken it before and she is just getting used to it, but Im worried that she forgets to take it at her regular time a lot. She is supposed to take it at 10pm, but she often doesn't carry it with her and takes it only when she gets home, which is usually after this. Im worried that because she isnt taking it always at the same time this could have an effect on the effectiveness of the pill.  

Answer
The advice is to take it at the same time each day. That keeps the level of hormone in the body stable. If she takes it at 1 PM each day there should not be a problem. If there is a large time gap between one day and the next because she takes it at different times each day, it may make a difference. It also depends on the type of pill she is taking. More powerful pills will have a longer staying power.