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"Question I am getting married in three weeks and recently visited the doctor to be prescribed the contraceptive pill.  He instructed me to start taking it on the first day of my period, however my periods are occasionally late and irregular.   I am late this month (there is no way that I can be pregnant) \u2013 should I just start taking the Pill now so that I am ready for my wedding?  Answer There are several reasons for advising you to start the Pill on the first day of your period.  Firstly this ensures that you are not already pregnant when you start the Pill.  Secondly this provides you with effective contraception from the first day of taking the Pill.  The other reason is that starting the Pill on the first day of your period means you are less likely to have any erratic bleeding during the first cycle of Pill taking.  So your doctor&amp;#039;s advice is right.  It is however understandable that you want to have effective contraception by the time of your wedding.  It is obviously difficult to predict when your period will arrive. The alternative to starting your Pill on the first day of your period is to just begin taking the Pill as you suggest.  If you do this you will need to use alternative contraception for the first seven days, and at that stage your Pill will be effective.  This applies whenever you start the Pill.  This will make it more likely that you will have some &amp;#039;spotting&amp;#039; or light bleeding during the first cycle of taking the Pill.  The best advice would be that you wait for your period, but that if it has not started a week before your wedding you then start the Pill anyway, so that you have effective contraception when you need it. Yours sincerely The NetDoctor Medical Team  Other Qs &amp;amp;amp; As Are there any risks with having cats in the house with a young baby? Can different foods determine the sex of a baby?  Can I dye my hair while pregnant? Can I eat yoghurt during my pregnancy? Can I fly while pregnant? Can I run while pregnant? Can I use a sun bed during pregnancy? Can I use a vibrator while pregnant? Can love of lime juice harm my baby? Can pregnant women use a jaccuzzi? Cheese and pregnancy Contact with birds during pregnancy Do beauty treatments harm my unborn baby? Do I need special detergent for baby clothes? Exercising during pregnancy - can you do too much? Household cleaning products and pregnancy I&amp;#039;m pregnant. Can I fly at eight weeks? Is it OK to have sex during my pregnancy? Sex after giving birth Sex at the end of the period Should I go skiing while 20 weeks&amp;#039; pregnant? Should I have an operation for prolapse of the womb?  Should I stop being a vegetarian during my pregnancy? Should my pregnant wife be concerned about being in close contact with children who have impetigo? Using insect repellent during pregnancy Using paint when pregnant Using saunas during pregnancy Vibrators during pregnancy What shouldn&amp;#039;t I eat during pregnancy? Will pate harm my baby?  Last updated 14.07.2014 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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