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Effects of Switching From 28 to 21 Day Birth Control

Monday, September 21, 2009
Related Tags: pills | progestin | 21-day | birth | combination
 

Instructions

28-Day Birth Control

  • Step 1:
    Twenty-eight-day birth control can either be progestin-only pills or combination pills. All progestin-only pills come in packs of 28, as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists states. All 28 pills are active (hormonal), so you take one pill each day for 28 days. With a 28-day pack of combination pills, only the first 21 pills are active. You take one active pill each day for 21 days. During the last seven days, you take a reminder pill each day. Reminder pills do not contain hormones and mainly serve to help you remember when to start your new pack of pills.

21-Day Birth Control

  • Step 1:
    Twenty-one-day birth control always refers to combination pills. As the Center for Young Women's Health explains, all of the pills in 21-day pill packs are active pills. You take one pill each day for the first 21 days of your cycle. During the last seven days, you take no pills. After the seven days have passed, you start a new pack of pills.

Seven Days Without Pills

  • Step 1:
    Regardless of whether you were originally taking a progestin-only pill or a 28-day combination pill, switching to 21-day birth control means that you will now have seven days at the end of your cycle when you don't take any pills. For some women, this pill-free week may make it harder to remember to start a new pack of pills on time.

Switching Between Combination Pills

  • Step 1:
    As the Center for Young Women's Health explains, each brand of birth control pill affects women differently. You may have switched to a 21-day pill because you were experiencing undesirable side effects while using your 28-day pill. For many women, trying a different pill reduces their side effects. If you still experience side effects with your new pill, you may have to try several different pills before finding one that works for you.

Switching from Progestin-Only to Combination Pills

  • Step 1:
    If you were previously taking progestin-only birth control, switching to 21-day birth control means that you are switching to a combination pill. Since combination pills contain estrogen, your new pill may affect you in ways that your progestin-only pill did not. According to Planned Parenthood, in many women combination pills reduce acne, protect against endometrial and ovarian cancer, and ease premenstrual symptoms. Combination pills may also, however, cause more side effects in some women. Users of combination pills are also at a slightly higher risk of suffering a serious problem like heart attack, stroke or blood clots.

Photo/Video Credit

StillSearc: sxc.hu

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