Missed Birth Control Pills: Pregnancy Risk & Testing

Question
I have been on birth control pill for a couple months.  This month I have missed taken my pill 3 days in a row a couple times.  I had some spotting which is normal I believe.  Could I have gotten pregnant?  If so how long until I can do a test to see.

Answer
Dear Jeni,

Missing BCPs, especially more than two days in a row without making them up, AND not using a back-up method for the week following a missed pill, definitely leaves you susceptible to pregnancy.

Many tests claim accuracy on the first day of a missed period, but I usually recommend that women wait until the week following a missed or spotty period before testing for pregnancy. This tends to minimize the incidence of false negative results. Make sure when you test that you use 1st morning urine to get a concentrated sample for the most accurate results.

I hope this has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well.

Brenda