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no no, that last row of pills are called the placebo pills, they lack horomoes to allow you to get your period. No backup is necessary during that time even if you dont get your period (it needs to regulate the first few months)
your friend is right - it IS effective during those 7 days because typically (not always) fertilization takes place several days (up to 2 weeks) prior to that week. I was on the pill for YEARS and was always fine. Im not saying there isnt a teeny tiny chance (like always) but no need for backup during that time
I'm not on the 28 day pill, so I take 3 weeks and then wait a week before starting a new pack. But it sounds like you're saying it doesn't matter, because it is still effective?
MissRain: All pills are essentially 21 day pills. The last seven pills in the pack are just sugar pills, also called "reminder pills". These are so that you remain in the habit of taking the pill everyday and you don't forget to start back up again.
One tip on taking BC pills is try to take them at the same time every day. A time that's easy for you...doesn't matter when. I set an alarm on my phone to take them at 10pm every night.
Yes. That is what KellyV said. During that week that you don't take the pills, it is still effective.
What the pill does, is it fakes your body into thinking you're already pregnant so that an egg is not released from your ovaries. So during that week without any pills, you're supposed to have your period, which is the time about a week AFTER the egg would have been released anyways. So you're covered :)
@missrain, that's very much like how Nuvaring worked. I'd have an insert ring for 3 weeks, take it out, then put it in for 3 more weeks. If I missed my insertion day by one day, though, I wasn't "covered". Theoretically you are safe during that 1 week because you typically are on your period and even if you aren't, that is the week you shouldn't have an egg ready for fertilization. Technically if you aren't fully regulated you COULD get pregnant though. But if you'er on the pill for a few months pre-wedding, you should be just fine because your hormones will be forced into their proper time periods.
You could just take your packs back to back and not have periods. It's so lovely that way =]
The 28 day pack is essentially the same as the 21 day pack. With the 28 day packs, you just get 7 "placebo" pills like @KellyV mentioned... these are just to help you remember to take a pill everyday. I am on the 28 day pack and I never even take the placebo pills, I just throw them out. But to answer your question, yes you are "protected" from pregnancy during those 7 days. The pill prevents you from ovulating-- that's how it prevents pregnancy. The "period" you experience during the 7 days of pill withdrawal is a "pseudo-period" where your uterine lining is being sloughed off. There is no egg ovulated, so there is no chance for you to get pregnant.
Hope that helps and makes sense! :)
thanks, ladies! That is great news! And all without having the awkward call to the nurse (I'm not good on the phone).
I have been on the pill for a number of years now. I am on the 28 day pills but My doctor told me as "hotchildinthecity" said that the last row are reminder pills. They aren't neccessary to really take. I have skipped my last row for many years and have been fine. I also take mine at the same time @ 10 pm every night. Sometimes around nine if i go to bed earlier. The only thing i found with taking at night is that when i first started on the pill my stomach would hurt in the morning. I would suggest eating somthing if you take it before bed.
I take mine at noon everyday, and like someone else said, i have a reminder on my phone. I haven't had any physicial trouble with the pill I am on, but with the first one I tried I would get real lightheaded and weird for the first week
MissRain,
The manufacturers say that yes, that last week of placebo pills or 'reminder' pills you should be fine without any back up. However, like everything else... nothing is 100% fool proof (but they do say that only like 1 out of 100 gets pregnant that way or something like that). If you are really worried about it, you could always use condoms that week, otherwise you should be fine. :) Congrats!
Ooh. Okay, can I add a question?
I am not yet on a pill but recently my period has kind of moved to later in the month. Now, instead of my beginning of the month cycle it begins on/around the seventh.
Well...I'm getting married Nov. 7. Is it too late to get this straightened out with medication? IUD? What do I do? Help girls...my soon-to-be will not be happy with this and I don't want to be bloated and nuts on my wedding day.
So sorry to steal the post...
Miss SoonToBee,
One thing you can do if you are on the pill is just skip the placebo pills and start a new pack. That is how Seasonale works. It keeps you from getting your period by keeping the hormone level the same. I'm on Nuvaring and my dr. told me that instead of taking out the ring the 4th week, there is enough hormone to keep you from getting pregnant for one more week. So sometimes I do 4weeks with it in, and then I take it out the 5th week. it works well for vacations.....weddings...... :) Technically you could just insert a new ring, but I like to get my period as a friendly reminder that I am not pregnant. Depo can help you get rid of your period, but it takes a few months to regulate so you may not have enough time. I would say if you are really worried talk to your dr about getting birth control pills or Nuvaring.
Just a quick reminder that some types of pill - progestin-only pills with no estrogen, or the types that minimize your period frequency - do not have inactive/placebo pills, so you must take every pill. 
Make sure to check the guidelines that were given to you along with the pill pack, or ask your pharmacist, before you skip any!
Please don't ever be afraid to speak with a nurse or a doctor. My mom's a nurse, and from the stories she's told me, your question cannot possibly be the stupidest (or weirdest) they have ever heard. Their job is to help, not to judge. Not that you all don't know what you are talking about or would steer someone wrong, but sometimes you need to speak with an expert. Also, the placebo pills in the pack sometimes have iron in them to replace what you lose when you do have your period (of course, I always forget to take them!).
Just a heads up that NOT all 28 day pills have 7 days of placebos. I was on a gradual pill once that had 21 days of hormones, 3 or 4 days of fewer hormones, and then 3 or 4 days of either nothing or even fewer hormones. My doctor said I HAD to take them all, and I read the package and it said the same thing -- all of the pills had to be taken.
For pills that have sugar pills that last week - I always pitch them. They only reason they have them is so you don't forget to take the pill in a week.
@MissSoonToBee, it all depends on if you are a "Sunday starter" or not and what type of pill you are on. If you want to take your pills continuously and skip a period as mentioned above you need to be on a specific type of pill. Tri pills (e.g. Ortho Tricyclen) have a higher dose of hormone for each of the first 3 weeks, and then the fourth week has no hormones, and the drop in hormones is what causes you to bleed (your 'period' on your pill is not actually your period, since you are not ovulating). If you take these pills continuously, you will probably break-through bleed anyway because the drop in hormone is from a high dose on week three to a very low dose on week one (so almost the same as going from high hormones to low).
Ask your doctor about the different types of pills; if you are thinking about starting, ask when you can start to take them to have your period NOT during your wedding, or ask to go on a plain Cyclen instead of Tricyclen for example so you have the option to skip your period by taking your hormone pills back to back.
I actually just talked to my doctor about this today, I am on a tricyclen pill and am going to switch my period in August by taking two pill packs at one time - week one then week one again, week two then week two again, week three then week three again, and one week of placebos. Sorry this was long-winded but it seems like you wanted information. Don't be afraid to ask your doctor, they have heard it all and will be glad to help you.
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I may just end up calling the nurse at my obgyn, but I wanted to try something a little more anonymous first!
I have been on the pill for about 5 months now, and luckily I have found one that is inexpensive and doesn't wreck my body/mind. It's a 21 day pill. I know if you miss more than one pill in a row they reccomend that you use backup, but what about the 7 days between pill packs? Do we have to use something else during that time? One of FI's good friends told him that if you use the pill every day during the cycle it will be effective through that last week.
We aren't having sex yet, and the last thing we want is to get pregnant within the first few weeks of getting married!