How to Switch Birth Control Pills

For some women, finding the right birth control pill is like dating. You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find a prince. But unlike dating, you can't just tell your old birth control pill "It's not you, it's me" and switch to a new one. Changing abruptly could lead to unpleasant side effects, and increase chances of an unwanted pregnancy. Here's the right way to switch birth control pills.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Discuss plans to switch birth control pills with your gynecologist. Your doctor will know whether the new pill you're considering is even medically different from your current pill since many have extremely similar combinations of hormones. She can also give you specific advice on when to switch pills.

2. Continue taking your old birth control pill if you're mid-cycle. Switching before you've finished a pill pack can reduce your protection against pregnancy. Depending on the pill you were on and how different it is from the one you're switching to, you also could suffer some side effects like breakthrough bleeding if you switch at the wrong time.

3. Go through your inactive or placebo pills until it's time to begin a new pill pack. This means you'll probably get your period.

4. Begin your new birth control pills instead of starting a new pack of your old birth control pill. A new birth control pill isn't considered effective until it's been in your system for a full 7 days. So make sure you use a condom with spermicide as a back-up until you've taken the new birth control pill for a week.

5. Give your body a few cycles to judge whether you like the new birth control pill. It can take this long to adapt to the change in hormones and side effects like breakthrough bleeding—especially with very low estrogen pills—can be a problem until that time passes.

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