While many people don’t experience any side effects from taking the morning after pill, some people will experience some mild side effects such as the ones listed below (they are also printed in the leaflet inside the box):
The most common morning-after pill side effects include:
- Nausea
- Abdominal (stomach) pain or discomfort
- Vomiting
- Spotting
- Painful periods
- Pelvic pain
- Breast tenderness
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Tiredness
If you do experience side effects after taking emergency contraception, they are likely to be mild and short lived. If you have any concerns, or if symptoms persist, contact your GP.
I feel sick and my breasts are painful — does that mean I’m pregnant despite having taken the pill?
Sore breasts and nausea are a common morning-after pill side effect, plus sore breasts can also be a sign of Premenstrual syndrome (PMS), so try not to read too much into it and wait for your period. If you’re anxious to find out whether emergency contraception has been effective, it might feel like a long time to wait for the relief of a period – but taking a pregnancy test before you’ve missed a period will give an unreliable result. If your period is over a week late, take a pregnancy test to put your mind at ease.
How will I know if the emergency contraception worked?
The only way to know that emergency contraception has worked is your period arriving. The morning after pill can delay your period or make it come a little early, plus it can sometimes cause mild spotting or light bleeding, so try not to worry until your period comes. If your period is more than 7 days late, you should take a pregnancy test to put your mind at ease.
Does the morning after pill cause infertility?
There is no evidence to suggest that the morning after pill has any effect on long term fertility. In fact, your fertility is likely to return rapidly after taking the morning after pill and you will therefore need to use a barrier method of contraception, like condoms, until your next period.
I threw up after taking the pill — should I take a second one?
If you throw up within three hours of taking emergency contraception, you should visit your local pharmacy, GP or sexual health clinic as you may need a second dose to ensure it is as effective as possible.
I’m breastfeeding my baby — is it dangerous to take emergency contraception?
If you are breastfeeding and you take emergency contraception, we advise you to take a short break before breastfeeding again. This depends on the type of morning-after pill taken. You can start breastfeeding 8 hours after taking a Levonorgestrel morning-after pill or seven days after taking an ulipristal acetate morning-after pill. In the meantime, you should continue to express milk and dispose of it, so as to avoid interrupting breast milk production. In the meantime, you should continue to express milk and dispose of it, so as to avoid interrupting breast milk production.
