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Extending cycle before wedding

11 February, 2016
Question:

I am getting married please God in two months and I am on birth control. I take Alesse with 21 real pills and 7 sugar pills (28 total). I started taking the pill about six weeks ago. So I have had one period that came 3 days after I started the sugar pills. I counted the weeks and realized that I would be finishing my pack of pills exactly two days before the wedding, and starting the sugar pills the day before the wedding. I want to make sure I don't have my period at my wedding, but I am nervous to rely on starting a new pack for that week and taking 2–3 extra pills (skipping the sugar pills) so I won't have my period.

Would you suggest that I take those extra 3 pills and add them to this month and hope my cycle gets used to it? Or would you suggest that adding them to the days right before the wedding is ok?


Answer:

Mazal tov on your upcoming wedding!

Adding two pills this cycle would be a good idea.  Then you would have regular cycle lengths (as prescribed) after this cycle.  The day of your wedding would be your last active pill, and you would be pretty confident of not bleeding then or the next day.

After the wedding, we recommend continuing to take active pills until you have become niddah due to dam betulim (not every couple achieves full relations on the first try).  Adding the extra pills this cycle could make this slightly more reliable if it becomes necessary.

Please see our articles on Setting the Date and Dam Betulim for a more extensive discussion of these topics, and write back with any further questions.

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