Many types of birth control distinguish between a “late” and “missed” pill in terms of what you should do to get back on track. Depending on the brand, if you took your birth control 4 hours late, you might just need to take it once you’ve remembered — no harm, no foul. But with other medication, being just 12 hours late in taking your birth control pill can mean a drop in your protection against pregnancy.
According to the CDC, a combined pill is considered late if fewer than 24 hours have passed since the time you normally take your pill.[1] It’s considered missed after more than 24 hours. A progestin-only mini pill, however, is considered missed after just 3 hours.[2]
Are there ever times when you’ve missed one birth control pill and don’t need to do anything? Yes, if the pill you missed was one of the placebo pills in your pack. Many types of birth control include a few days or a full week of “spacer” pills which don’t contain any hormones but are meant to be taken to keep you in your daily habit.