Emergency Contraception
What is it?
Emergency contraception is a way to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex. Often called the morning-after pill, emergency contraceptive pills are hormone pills that can be taken up to 72 hours after having unprotected sex.
Emergency contraception is most effective when it is taken as soon as possible after intercourse. But some studies have shown that it can still work up to 72 hours (3 days) after sex.
How does it work?
In high doses, the hormones estrogen and progesterone can prevent pregnancy. The first dose of pills should be taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse followed by a second dose of pills 12 hours later.
The hormones may work in a number of ways to prevent pregnancy. They may delay ovulation (the release of an egg the monthly cycle), affect the movement and function of the sperm, affect the development of the uterine lining, and disrupt the actual fertilization process. If implantation has already occurred and you are pregnant, emergency contraceptive pills will not interrupt the pregnancy.
How well does it work?
About 1 or 2 in every 100 women who use the morning-after pill will become pregnant even if they have taken them within 72 hours after having unprotected sex.
Emergency contraception is the only type of contraception method that is used after unprotected sex.Emergency contraception is most effective when taken as soon as possible after unprotected sex. Because of this, the name morning-after pill is somewhat misleading: Ideally the pill should be taken immediately after sex, without waiting for the next morning.Emergency contraception will not prevent pregnancy if a girl has unprotected sex after taking the pills.Because emergency contraception does not prevent all pregnancies, a woman should see her doctor if she doesn't get her next expected period after taking it.
Protection against STDs:
Emergency contraception does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Couples having sex must always use condoms to protect against STDs even when using another method of birth control.Abstinence (not having sex) is the only method that always prevents pregnancy and STDs.
If you have been forced to have unwanted sex , you should see a doctor right away to be tested for STDs. That's because it's important to treat some STDs immediately before they develop into bigger problems.
Possible side effects:
The larger-than-normal dose of hormone causes some side effects in many of the women receiving emergency contraception pills. These side effects include nausea, vomiting, breast tenderness, and headache.
Such side effects are usually minor, and most improve within 1 to 2 days. Your menstrual period may be temporarily irregular after taking ECPs.
Who uses it?
Emergency contraception is not recommended as a regular birth control method. Instead, it is used for emergencies only. If a couple is having sex and the condom breaks or slips off, or if you forgot to take your birth control pills for 2 days in a row, you may want to consider using emergency contraception.
It is also available to teens who are forced to have unprotected sex.
Emergency contraception is not recommended for women who know they are pregnant.
How do you get it?
You must go to the clinic as soon as possible after having unprotected sex.
How much does it cost?
Depending on the types of pills that are prescribed, the emergency contraceptive pill costs between $10.
