 |
IN FOCUS: ARTICLE |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
All About Emergency Contraception
Blythe Miller, 09.23.08
The best way to protect yourself is to get a prescription from a health center or private health care provider before an accident happens. |
|
Accidents happen — and that's why we have emergency contraception (EC). Maybe you had unprotected sex. Maybe you didn't use your birth control correctly. Or maybe someone forced you to have unprotected intercourse. Or maybe you did everything right, but the condom broke! If so, emergency contraception might be a good choice for you.
EC is a safe and effective way to prevent pregnancy after unprotected intercourse. It can be started up to five days (120 hours) after sex.
Read on for all the latest on EC: how it works, how well it works, how you can get it, and more.
What's in a name?
You may have heard EC called by other names, including the morning-after pill, emergency birth control, backup birth control, or by the brand name Plan B — the most commonly used kind of emergency contraception.
Though very common, the term "morning-after pill" is a little misleading because you can use EC up to five days after sex, not only the morning after. Also, you take two pills when you use Plan B, and many more if you use other types of EC — so, there's not just one pill. That's why the term "emergency contraception" is more accurate than "morning-after pill."
How does EC work?
EC is made of the same hormones found in birth control pills. The hormones in EC work by keeping a woman's ovaries from releasing eggs (ovulation), and therefore preventing the possibility of pregnancy — if there's no egg to join with the sperm, there's no way pregnancy can happen. They also thicken a woman's cervical mucus, which blocks sperm and keeps it from joining with an egg.
Plan B is a brand of hormone pills specially packaged as EC. Plan B contains the hormone progestin. Certain brands of birth control pills may also be used as for EC. They contain estrogen as well as progesting. This chart can show you how.
Some people confuse EC ("the morning-after pill") with mifepristone ("the abortion pill"). Mifepristone is a medicine that's used in a medication abortion to end a pregnancy. EC doesn't end a pregnancy — it prevents it from happening in the first place
How effective is EC?
Very. Plan B reduces the risk of pregnancy by 89 percent when it's started within three days after unprotected sex. That means that only 1 out of 100 women will become pregnant after taking Plan B within seventy-two hours!
When birth control pills are used as EC, they reduce the risk of pregnancy by 75 percent when taken within three days after unprotected sex. That means only two out of 100 women will become pregnant after using birth control pills for EC.
Remember: the sooner it's started the better. But keep in mind that emergency contraception offers no protection against sexually transmitted infections. So, if you've been forced into unprotected sex and may have been exposed to sexually transmitted infection, go to an emergency room or contact the nearest Planned Parenthood and ask about getting medicine to prevent HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis.
Is EC safe?
Absolutely. Millions of women have used EC, and it's been around for more than 30 years. There have been no reports of any serious problems.
Are there disadvantages?
Nausea and throwing up are the most common issues when birth control pills are used for EC. But these side effects are much less common among women who use Plan B. You can use anti-nausea medicine one hour before taking EC if you are worried about feeling sick.
So how do I get it?
You might have heard some of the buzz in the news over the last few years about making Plan B available at drugstores. In 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finally approved Plan B's over-the-counter status, granting women everywhere easier access to a safe way to prevent unintended pregnancies after sex — if they're 18 or older, that is.
Teens under 18 can still get EC the old-fashioned way — with a prescription. The best way to protect yourself is to get a prescription from a health center or private health care provider before an accident happens, and keep it on hand. That way, you won't waste time waiting to get an appointment with a health care provider or trying to get your prescription filled when you need EC.
Plan B is safe, effective, and should be available to all women. But because of certain policies and the personal bias of some pharmacists, you may still have a hard time getting it. If you're having trouble getting a prescription for EC from your health care provider or getting it filled by your local pharmacy, contact your local Planned Parenthood health center. We can help.
In general, minors don't need permission from their parents to get EC, but there may be certain locations where an individual health care provider, for one reason or another, may require parental permission.
How much does EC cost?
That depends on on where you go and what services you need. Plan B costs anywhere from $10 to $45. One packet of birth control pills that can be used as emergency contraception may cost from $15 to $50.
For teens under 18, the health care visit to get a prescription may cost anywhere from $35 to $250. So, you may save money by asking for a prescription when you're seeing your health care provider for your regular checkup or other health concern.
How do I use EC?
Start EC as soon as possible within five days of unprotected intercourse.
Plan B can be taken in one or two doses — that's up to you. If you take it in two doses, you take the second pill 12 hours after the first one. When you take birth control pills as EC, you take the pills in two doses, 12 hours apart. The number of pills in each dose depends on the brand.
If you feel sick and throw up after taking the first dose, use anti-nausea medication an hour before taking the second dose. Or you can insert the second dose into your vagina. The medicine will be absorbed through the walls of your vagina, and won't make you feel sick.
If you throw up after the second dose, you shouldn't take any extra pills. The pills will most likely make you sicker, and probably won't reduce your chance of getting pregnant.
After you take EC, it's normal for your next period to be different than usual. It might come early or late, and it could be heavier, lighter, or more spotty. Be sure to tell any health care provider that you may see before your next period that you have taken the morning-after pill.
If you don't have your period within three weeks after taking EC — or if you have any symptoms of pregnancy — you should take a pregnancy test and/or schedule an appointment with a health care provider.
Back Up Your Birth Control
Nobody's perfect, and accidents happen. That's why it's a really good idea to keep EC handy, just in case.
Having sex involves a lot of choices and requires a lot of maturity. So step it up! Just as you need to take responsibility for your birth control, take responsibility for backing it up.
To make an appointment at a Planned Parenthood health center near you, call 1-800-230-PLAN. Or find us online. |
|
|
|
Printable Version
Email this page