"I forgot to take my contraceptive pill once this week and I just realized it. What should I do?"

If you have forgotten to take your contraceptive pill once this week, what you should do depends on the timing in your cycle. If it has been less than 24 hours since you missed the pill, there are no additional protective measures needed. However, if it is in the first week of your pill pack and you have had unprotected sex in the last 5 days, you may want to consider taking the morning after pill and using condoms for the next 7 days. If it is in the second or third week of your pack, you can discard the missed pill and continue taking your pills normally until the end of the pack. You should start a new pack immediately without taking a break, so you may not have your period this month.