Way OT: Traveling on the pill

[SalsaMTB]

Any knowledgeable girls out there with the pill? I'm traveling to Japan next week and am not sure what to do about taking my pill. There is a 14 hr time change. If I were to continue taking it on my current schedule, I would have to get up at 2am to take it. Otherwise, it seems like my schedule is going to get messed up if I take it on Japan time. Any recommendations would be helpful. I just don't want my hormones to get out of wack.

[uk elephant]

I certainly don't consider myself a knowledgable person, but I have done a fair bit of travelling across time zones on the pill and other medication to be taken at regular intervals. What I do is to immediately adjust to the new time zone and take my medication at my normal time according to the new time zone. Travelling between American and Europe that means I am 6 or 7 hours off schedule. In most cases it says on the packet that if you miss one day it's not a problem, just start up the next day as if nothing happened. So I have never had my hormones go out of whack for that reason.

[Veronica]

I've never had any problems either. I sometimes skip a day (oops) and that doesn't throw me off either.

V.

[Grog]

Worst thing that can happen if you're on a low-dose pill and take one many hours late is that you can have some light bleeding before the normal date at chich your period would normally start.

[bouncybouncy]

Oh Boy...don't get me started here! I have been using the pill for 20 years now my doc put me on it at an early age (puberty) because i was not producing estrogen and therefore not having a normal cycle. ANYWHO...the ways i have manipulated my pills in order to not be "flowin" at inopertune times!!

i was guided by a doctor (and friend of the family) you can stop a few days early or take a few extra to prolong the 28 day period...not making a habit of this monthly you should be fine! and as the packet says "missing a day is fine...double the next" or take it as soon as you remember. and a few hours of inconsistency should be no harm either. but when any of this is done to take EXTRA precautions te ensure no OOOPSIES!!!

i figure if you take it every 24 hours and adjust the day you get there to take it first thing in the morning when you wake (as opposed to 2 a.m.) you should be fine....but i am disclaiming i am NO doctor and i would talk to a pharmacist/doctor/or phycisians assist to get expert advice...cause you never know...we are all different in the fertility range and i may have screwed up many time taking the pill but am just not so fertile whereas someone else may have done excatly what i have and gotten a bun in the oven...

Meanwhile...enjoy your trip!!!! it is a wild place...alot to absorb!!! I loved it!!!!

[bouncybouncy]

Worst thing that can happen if you're on a low-dose pill and take one many hours late is that you can have some light bleeding before the normal date at chich your period would normally start.

...are you sure that is the worst thing???

[SalsaMTB]

Since the travel is for work and DH isn't going, I'm not too concerned about getting a bun in the oven, more about unexpected bleeding,etc. Thanks for all the info though. I'm not too concerned now!

[Lise]

Hi, I am a licensed health care provider in women's health, and I agree with the advice above. Depending on where you are in your cycle, a missed or late pill does increase your chance of ovulating, and therefore getting pregnant. When in doubt, use condoms for the next seven days. If you're on a low-dose estrogen pill, you might have some break through bleeding, but that's annoying and not dangerous.

One thing to keep in mind is that both estrogen and long plane flights increase the risk of blood clots in the legs. Get up and walk frequently, stretch and flex your legs often while seated on the flight.

And have a great time! Lise

[Brandi]

I travel alot over sea's and it is hard to figure out. I went to Japan and had the worst period ever when I was there. And I was there for a month. I just kept a watch that had american time and date on it. Cause the day is going to change too. Ok right now it is 4:00 pm here and 9:00 am there. Oh I am in California by the way. I would just slowly change when you take it so you can take it at a reasonable time there. so there is a 17 hour difference (here in calif) . So if you take your pill lets say at 8;00 in the morning you would take it at 1:00 in the morning there, that is not realistic. So if you could start taking it here maybe at night let's say at 6:00 or maybe when you go to bed at night then you would take it like in the afternoon there. It's tough I know let me tell you. But I would just do your best if you mess up just make sure you have a back up. Cause finding a backup while you are there is very embarresing. Are you going on vacation? I had such a great time there ( besides the awful period) but i was working as an artists so I got to see some neat stuff. I am jelouse! Have a great time dessert is reallt good there very fun stuff.

[Grog]

...are you sure that is the worst thing???

From what the explanatory notes say and from what all doctors have told me (I travel a bit too) over the past 10 years I've spent on the pill, taking ONE 12 hours late in a month will make NO difference (and if you do get pregnant if you do that only once, you'll at least you case cited in the Reproductive Medicine Journal and achieve fame that way!! ). Both the Marvelon and Alesse (from a couple of years ago for Alesse, haven't checked recently) info sheets make it quite clear that taking even one one day late is not a problem, whereas you should use an alternative contraception mode if you forget more than one. Usually the info sheets are on the safe side...

However, I have had some spotting (light bleeding) a week early from taking a low-dose pill as little as 6 hours late.

You may want to play it extra-safe (or make it an occasion to try alternative contraception modes) but I don't think anyone should loose sleep (literally!) over a single event like that...