Continuous pill taking

Taking the pill continuously means: you take all the hormone pills from one packet, skip the non-hormone pills, and immediately start the hormone pills from a new packet.

If you only take the hormone pills, you won’t have a period. There is no evidence that this is less healthy than having your period once a month. 

Taking the pill continuously is the most effective way to take the pill.

Typically, the pill is 92% effective at preventing pregnancy. That means 8 out of every 100 people that take the pill will become hapū every year. These pregnancies are mostly due to incorrect use of the pill — such as forgetting to take the pill every day. 
 
The pill can be 99% effective if it’s taken correctly. If the pill was always taken correctly, less than 1 out of every 100 people that took the pill would get pregnant every year.  
 
When you take the pill continuously, you get control over your period. It’s up to you when, or if, you have your period. Some people skip their period every month. 

You need to take the pill every day for it to work. You’ll be able to get pregnant as soon as you stop taking this pill.

Take your pill as soon as you remember. If you are taking the pill continuously, you would have to miss 8 pills in a row before you would be at risk of pregnancy.

Missing a pill may cause you to have spotting.

If you decide you want to have a period, you can just take your non-hormone pills for 4-7 days, and then restart the hormone pills.

Advantages:

• The pill is simple and easy to take
• The pill doesn’t get in the way of sex
• Continuous use gives you control over your period
• Continuous use helps you avoid long, heavy, or painful periods
• Continuous use helps people who suffer from endometriosis or anaemia

Disadvantages:

• The pill doesn’t protect you from STIs
• You have to remember to take the pill once a day, every day
• Starting the pill can cause temporary side effects, such as: feeling sick — if taken on an empty stomach — sore breasts, unexpected vaginal bleeding, and dark patches on your face

Taking the pill continuously has the same risks and possible side effects as taking the pill not-continuously. Serious side effects from taking the pill are rare — but it is worth being aware of them.

There are no side effects from not having your period. Because your hormones stay level when you take the pill continuously, blood does not build up in your uterus. That means you don’t need to have a period. The longer you take the pill, the thinner the lining of the uterus becomes. 

Learn more about the side effects or risks of the pill

One of our nurses will help you work out the best way for you to take the pill. It’s best to decide on one time to take the pill every day. Lots of people set an alarm on their phone to help them remember.  
 
If you’ve only just started taking the pill, you might: 

• Feel sick — especially if you take the pill on an empty stomach
• Have sore breasts
• Have unexpected vaginal bleeding
• Get dark patches on your face

Most of these symptoms get better once your body is used to the pill. If you’re worried about any changes, it’s a good idea to call us for advice. It’s best to keep taking your pill until we’ve talked about next steps. 

It’s best to take the pill at the same time every day. You could set an alarm on your phone to remind you to take your pill.

Take one hormone pill per day, every day. Take the hormone pills from one packet. When they run out, start the hormone pills from a new packet. Skip your seven non-hormone pills.

When you take the pill continuously, you don’t have a monthly period.

Taking your pills continuously protects you from pregnancy — unless you forget to take more than eight pills in a row.

You can take the pill continuously for as long as you want. If you ever want to have a period, you can take your non-hormone pills for 4-7  days.

You might notice bleeding and spotting when you start taking the pill continuously. You can wait for your body to get used to taking the pill continuously, or you can decide to have your period.

Some people find they are not able to skip all of their periods on the pill, because they get spotting. Sometimes we can help with that, by changing you to a different pill. Some people who get spotting with continuous pill-taking choose to have a period every few months.

• It isn’t bad for you to not have your period when you are taking the pill
• It’s okay to skip as many periods as you want to
• There is no evidence that this is less healthy than having your period once a month
• You don’t need to take a break from continuous pill taking — unless you want to for your own reasons.

Because your hormone levels stay stable when you take the pill continuously, blood does not build up in your uterus. That means you don’t need to have a period. The longer you take the pill, the thinner the lining of the uterus becomes.

You might notice bleeding and spotting when you start taking the pill continuously. You can wait for your body to get used to taking the pill continuously, or you can decide to have your period — just take your non-hormone pills for seven days.

When you’re on the pill, getting your period doesn’t actually prove that you’re not pregnant.

The period you have when you’re on the pill is called withdrawal bleeding — it’s not the same as a regular period. Withdrawal bleeding is caused by not taking your hormone pills. Withdrawal bleeding doesn’t mean that you’re not pregnant.

The only way to know if you’re pregnant or not is to take a pregnancy test.

When the pill was first invented, the inventors thought people would want to have a period every month — because that’s what people were used to. The non-hormonal pills were included to give people the option of a monthly bleed — not for any medical reason.

Taking the pill continuously doesn’t make it harder for you to become hapū in the future.

As soon as you stop taking the pill, your ability to become hapū will return to normal. There’s no difference to your fertility, whether you take the pill continuously or not. Sometimes it will take a few months for your period to return to a regular cycle after stopping the pill.

Taking the pill continuously doesn’t protect you from sexually transmissible infections (STIs).  
 
Condoms, oral dams, and regular STI testing are the best ways to protect yourself from STIs.

You can become hapū after you stop taking the pill. 

If you become hapū when you’re taking the pill continuously, and you want to continue with your pregnancy, there will be no extra risk to the pēpi. 

Make an appointment with us. We talk to you about the pill, and help you get it. 

We can talk to you about different types of contraception — and help you work out if taking the combined oral contraceptive pill continuously is the best idea for you.  
 
Anyone can visit our clinics. If you want to talk with us, we want to talk to you.

Make an appointment