Combined pill - running 2 packs together to avoid period

[electra]

I'm going on holiday next week and would rather not have the usual pill break bleed. The only thing is that I missed a pill halfway through the pack. Should I be making sure I have that bleed as usual or will it be ok to run 2 packs together?

Absolutely fine. I've done it loads. Nurses have said it is fine.

Is there any chance you might be pg after missing a pill? If so, it might be best to check it out with your GP or a pharmacist. But if you were careful for the 7 days after the missed pill, then running a second pack straight after will be fine. After all, that's what the instructions would tell you to do anyway if you missed one near the end of a pack, so having more pills in a row shouldn't be any problem.

Yes, I didn't follow the 7 day rule because I was away when I missed the pill, got confused and only realised days later that I had missed it. So I suppose there is a small chance but it was in the middle of the pack so perhaps less likely...

You should be fine, I did it lots when on the pill for years.

( But, and it's only my experience, i did suffer from PCOS when i came off the pill and needed 'drug help' to get pg, so maybe it's not the best plan overall)

Should be fine, I do this routinely to reduce the number of periods I get (due to pain and other problems), have done so after the occassional missed/late pill as well, though I was fairly confident I couldn't be pregnant iykwim.

It's pretty unlikely you'd be pg after just 1 missed pill mid-month, isn't it?

The only reason for having a break between packs is to cause a "withdrawal" bleed where you bleed because of dropping progesterone levels. This is partly because patriarchal doctors felt that women need to bleed regularly to feel like a real woman . The result is that the dose for the other three weeks is that much higher to cover the week off. So if you miss a pill the safest thing to do (contraception wise) is run the packs together.

dd2 has just been put on the pill for medical reasons and was told by the GP that if she ever needed to take 2 packs together it was fine.

Combined pill you need to miss two pills.