How Do You Remember To Take Your Pill? We Ask 9 Irish Women What Works For Them

If used correctly, the Pill is effective in over 99% of cases per year. That’s very, very good odds by the way – but only if you actually remember to take it.

It’s only one little pill, and we even get a break one week a month, and yet we’ve all had at least one scare or ten after forgetting to take it. With that in mind, we asked nine Irish women how they remember to take oral contraception on the daily…

“I take mine every day at 6pm, because I’m known to be a bit pukey with a hangover. Can’t afford to to be throwing that bad boy up on a Sunday morning!”
Maríosa, 28

“I keep mine in my wallet so that I’m more likely to see it. Plus I generally always have my wallet on me if I’m out. I take it around 10pm because it’s a time I’m always awake.”
Rosie, 23

“I use an app called Clue. I haven’t missed one since I downloaded it, and I was a serial take-three-in-a-day-because-I-forgot before. You can set the time of the alert, and it knows when you’re on the seven day break.  Plus can track mood and pain and all kinds of things, so it’s honestly made the mysterious cycle stuff much clearer to me.”
Ellen, 26

“When I was backpacking in South America, one girl had a massive sign up in the dorm as her reminder that said ‘TAKE YOUR PILL TARA’. Not subtle, but very effective – and it reminded me too!”
Laura, 26

“I use an app called MyPill because I just don’t trust myself to remember otherwise. It alerts you daily, and if you miss a day or take it too late, it’ll let you know if you should be worried. Plus you can also chart your period – cramps, light flow days and super-heavy days.”
Ciara, 23

“I have an alarm set every day for 9am, which is usually just before I leave for work. I keep my Pill packet in the front pocket of my handbag so it’s always handy – as long as I remember to swap it over if I’m bringing a different bag!”
Valerie, 27

“I have mine beside my bed and take it as soon as I wake up in the morning. It just means on weekends I take it a couple of hours later than during the week.”
Orlagh, 28

“I keep mine beside other medication I have to take every day too. So if I don’t take it, I die and get impregnated at once. That’s how it works, right?”
Louise, 28

“Me and my work wifey tend to remind each other, and at weekends I usually leave it in the bathroom so I see it when I’m brushing my teeth. I probably need to get a better system going though, as I forget waaay too often.”
Sarah, 30

• contracpetion
• oral contraception
• Sex
• the pill