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Emergency contraception is commonly known as the morning-after
pill. This name is misleading, however, because emergency contraception
can be used up to 72 hours after suspected contraception.
Emergency contraception is recommended for use if:
The condom broke during intercourse or one wasn't used You or your partner forgot to take birth control pills You weren't using birth control You were forced to have unprotected vaginal intercourse
One thing to note about emergency contraception is
that it cannot protect against STDs, only against unwanted pregnancy.
Emergency contraception should also not be used as a regular form of
birth control. Other, more reliable, forms include condoms, birth control
pills, diaphragms, or IUDs.
Emergency contraception is FDA approved and must be prescribed by a
doctor, such as those at Brandeis
Health Services.
There are two kinds of emergency contraceptive pills available. One
kind uses hormones of the same type and dose as birth control pills.
This is a combination of estrogen and progesterone. The other kind,
most often marketed under the brand name Plan B, uses only progesterone.
Some women can also take a combination of the birth control pills they
are already taking as a form of emergency contraception. She should
consult her doctor, however, before doing this because different brands
of pills have different effective combinations.
Side effects can be expected with the use of emergency contraception.
The most common side effects are nausea, headaches, dizziness, and breast
tenderness. These side effects will go away after a couple days, and
no long-term side effects have been found.
If a woman experiences any of the following after taking the morning-after
pill, she must see a doctor immediately:
severe abdominal pain severe chest pain, cough, or shortness of breath severe headache, dizziness, weakness, or numbness vision loss or blurring speech problems severe leg pain.
There is a slight chance of pregnancy even after taking the pill. Ordinarily
there is a 25% chance of getting pregnant while ovulating. The morning-after
pill reduces these chances to about 5%. If a woman's period is over
three weeks late after taking the morning-after pill, she should see
a doctor.
It is important to take the morning-after pill not more than 72 hours
after unprotected intercourse. Taking these hormones after this time
can have serious effects on the embryo.
Another option for emergency contraception is implanting a copper-T
IUD (intrauterine device). An IUD can be implanted up to five days
after intercourse; however, it is more expensive than emergency contraceptive
pills. IUDs are not recommended for:
A woman who has one or more sex partners or whose partner has one
or more sex partners A woman with a new partner Women who have been raped Women who are at high-risk of contracting STDs or STIs
If you would like more information on how or where to get emergency
contraception, please call 1-800-230-PLAN (7526) or 1-800-NOT-2-LATE
Sources:
"Emergency Contraception," http://ec.princeton.edu
"Emergency Contraception," http://www.plannedparenthood.org/ec
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