Contraceptive Pill Different Expiry Dates?!

[2019pillpacket]

Hi,

I've NC for this. I posted this on the pregnancy forum but had no response.

I have an 18 month old. I was on the pill but stopped to conceive him. I got a prescription for the pill last year but didn't finish the course as I was still breastfeeding, the pill made me feel rubbish for the first few weeks and so we just used condoms instead.

I started taking my pill again (from the prescription from last year). Long story short, since we've been in lockdown my skin has broken out in hormonal spots. It's been quite bad since I had a baby but for some reason got much worse since lockdown- I got so sick of it I decided to start taking my pill again in the hopes that the hormones would help it clear. Plan was to take the remainder of the packet (I had two) and then book an appointment for a repeat prescription. I would ordinarily have not done this but with coronavirus I thought it might be better to delay having to go in.

So I've been taking the pill now for three weeks and thought I was protected. Had unprotected sex with my dp three times between Wednesday and yesterday.

I'd had some bleeding around when my period should have been about a week ago which I thought was odd and my skin hasn't really cleared up like it normally would once I'm on the pill.

Yesterday I had a horrible sinking feeling, checked the packets and one of the packets has an expiry date of June 2019, the other has an expiry date of 2021. How could the expiry dates be so wildly different?! They are definitely from the same prescription but potentially different boxes if that makes sense? The pill packet I have been using is the one from 2019. I'm so annoyed with myself for not checking both.

How likely is it that I could be pregnant? And do I carry on taking the pill (from the in date packet of course?) Will this offer me some protection from getting pregnant from the last few days?

We had planned to TTC Jan 2021 but DH is now at risk of losing his job and with everything going on I was reconsidering and going to see nearer the time.

[Biomedical]

The only way to know for sure is to test, but once a pill reaches its expiry date, the chemical composition can deteriorate. The chance is literally 50/50 unfortunately

[2019pillpacket]

Thanks. I guess I will find out in two weeks. I'm just not sure whether to continue taking it or not.