Q: I am a 23 years old woman getting married in 18 days. The doctor told me to take Ovral-l, starting from the first day of my period. But my periods ended 2 days back. I cannot wait till my next period; neither can I take the risk of not taking the pill. Can I start taking the pill from today onwards? Are there any other alternatives? My husband doesn't want to use condoms, neither am I looking forward to using diaphragms. Please advise

A:You can start taking the pill now. It would have been better to start at least a few months before marriage. You are not protected completely against pregnancy (on the pill) till you have had one period on the pill. If you absolutely do not want to get pregnant, you need to use a back up contraceptive (condom, diaphragm or contraceptive foam/jelly). Remember that if you skip any pills or are erratic about remembering to take the pills, you can still get pregnant (on the pill).