When can you start the birth control pill?

Answer 1

Birth Control pills can be started at anytime in your cycle, in which case you'll need to use a back up method of contraception, like abstinence from vaginal sex or condoms, for at least seven days.

The other option is to start the pill with your period (or the first Sunday following the first day of your period). If you start the pill on the first day of bleeding, you'll have immediate protection from pregnancy; otherwise, you should use a back up method for seven days as described above.

The time in your cycle when you start the pill has no impact on side effects like irregular bleeding.

Traditionally, women in the US started the birth control pill on Sunday. This has an obvious disadvantage - your health care provider's office is closed on Sunday, and many women start their pill late when they notice too late that they're out of pills. Do yourself a favor and consider starting on a weekday, as they do in most other countries.