I've been on birth control, TriCycline Lo for the past three…

Hello -
Thank you for your question. If I understand it correctly, your main question is whether or not taking your oral contraception at the same time every day within 30 to 60 minutes of the exact time, can lead to a higher chance of being pregnant. If so, then your answer would be no. Technically, you should not be more than 24hrs apart, but within 30-60 minutes of that, the likelihood of having a higher risk of getting pregnant is slim. Now taking an active pill 5 hours later than normal time has been shown to increase the risk of getting pregnant.
I've listed below more detailed information regarding missed doses and what you should be doing:
If you MISS 1 white, light blue or dark blue “active” pill:
1. Take it as soon as you remember. Take the next pill at your regular time. This means you may
take 2 pills in 1 day.
2. You do not need to use a back-up birth control method if you have sex.
If you MISS 2 white or light blue “active” pills in a row in WEEK 1 OR WEEK 2 of your pack:
1. Take 2 pills on the day you remember and 2 pills the next day.
2. Then take 1 pill a day until you finish the pack.
3. You COULD BECOME PREGNANT if you have sex in the 7 days after you miss pills. You MUST
use another birth control method (such as a condom or spermicide) as a back-up method for
those 7 days.
If you MISS 2 dark blue “active” pills in a row in THE 3RD WEEK:
1. If you are a Sunday Starter:
Keep taking 1 pill every day until Sunday. On Sunday, THROW OUT the rest of the pack and start
a new pack of pills that same day.
If you are a Day 1 Starter:
THROW OUT the rest of the pill pack and start a new pack that same day.
2. You may not have your period this month but this is expected. However, if you miss your period
2 months in a row, call your healthcare professional because you might be pregnant.
3. You COULD BECOME PREGNANT if you have sex in the 7 days after you miss pills. You MUST
use another birth control method (such as a condom or spermicide) as a back-up method for
those 7 days.
If you MISS 3 OR MORE white, light blue or dark blue “active” pills in a row (
during the first 3 weeks):
1. If you are a Sunday Starter:
Keep taking 1 pill every day until Sunday. On Sunday, THROW OUT the rest of the pack and start
a new pack of pills that same day.
If you are a Day 1 Starter:
THROW OUT the rest of the pill pack and start a new pack that same day.
2. You may not have your period this month but this is expected. However, if you miss your period
2 months in a row, call your healthcare professional because you might be pregnant.
3. You COULD BECOME PREGNANT if you have sex in the 7 days after you miss pills. You MUST
use another birth control method (such as a condom or spermicide) as a back-up method for
those 7 days.
If you forget any of the 7 dark green “reminder” pills in Week 4:
THROW AWAY the pills you missed.
Keep taking 1 pill each day until the pack is empty.
You do not need a back-up method.
As for taking a pregnancy test, personally, I would recommend it just to 'make sure'.
I hope this helps. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
Thanks!