Oral emergency contraception (otherwise known as the morning-after pill) can help prevent unplanned pregnancy after unprotected sex or contraceptive failure. Read on to find out how it works.
Oral emergency contraception, otherwise known as the “morning after pill” is medication taken to prevent pregnancy for women who've had unprotected sex or whose birth control method has failed. The morning-after pill is intended for backup contraception only, not as a primary method of birth control.
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Emergency contraception is most effective when taken within the first 24 hours, so don’t wait until the next morning if you can get it the same day.
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The morning after pill delays ovulation, so it can stop the egg being released so the sperm has nothing to fertilise. The morning after pill cannot work once the egg has been fertilised, so it won’t be effective anymore if you are already pregnant. The morning-after pill is not an abortive pill because it cannot cause an abortion.
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The morning after pill is taken as a single administration. Depending on the type of morning-after pill that you take you may need to take one tablet on its own or two tablets simultaneously. It is important to check the dosage instructions in the prescribing information provided to you to make sure that you are taking your morning-after pill correctly.
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Emergency contraception, as the name suggests, should only be taken occasionally, as a back-up method after unprotected sex. It does not replace a regular method of contraception. Morning-after pills can only help protect you after a single instance of unprotected sex and will not continue to protect you for future instances, so after taking the morning after pill you should start using condoms until your next period
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The morning after pill can only help protect you from a single instance of unprotected sex: it does not work as a regular contraceptive. You should use a barrier method of contraception, such as condoms, when you have sex again, until your period when you can look into other contraceptive methods.
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Emergency contraception, or the morning after pill, is available over the counter, without a prescription, at your local pharmacy.
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How effective your emergency contraception is depends on whether you use it correctly. You need to follow the instructions and use your contraception correctly for it to be as effective as possible.
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A rapid return of fertility is likely following treatment with the morning-after pill. Women are advised to use a reliable barrier method, such as condoms, for subsequent acts of intercourse until the next menstrual cycle.
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Some people may experience mild side effects after taking the morning after pill, which can include nausea, dizziness, headaches and spotting. These side effects normally don’t last very long. Unfortunately some are quite similar to the first signs of pregnancy and so it can be hard to tell them apart. If your period is more than seven days late, you should take a pregnancy test to find out what’s going on.
