Emergency Contraception / Morning-After Pill
Emergency contraception or the morning-after pill is a drug that is taken after sex that can prevent pregnancy. It is important to get all the information before taking any type of emergency contraception so you can make an informed decision. Two of the most common brands of emergency contraception are Plan B One-Stop and ella, though there are many brands on the market.
Emergency contraceptives may not be effective if you are pregnant from a previous sexual encounter. These drugs are large doses of chemical hormones. These are unnecessary and expensive if you are already pregnant beyond the effective time frame and don’t know it. We offer free and confidential pregnancy tests to protect your health and safety and to give you all the information, so you can make an informed decision.
Despite the fact that many people try to buy emergency contraception online without seeing a doctor, this is not safe. Your health and your safety should be your paramount concern.
What is Plan B One-Step?
Plan B One-Step is taken after sex with the hope of preventing pregnancy.
Is Plan B One-Step Safe?
Plan B One-Step is a larger dose of the hormones in daily birth control pills. Possible side effects include a heavier period, nausea, lower abdominal pain, fatigue, headache, dizziness, breast tenderness, and delay of period. Plan B One-Step could trigger your body to ovulate, increasing the risk of actually becoming pregnant during a different sexual encounter.
Is Plan B One-Step Effective?
It is only possible to become pregnant during a few days in each menstrual cycle. Plan B One-Step becomes unnecessary if you had sex outside these few days. It actually becomes just a large, expensive dose of hormones. A study done by the makers of Plan B One-Step found that Plan B can fail up to 39% of the time depending on when it is taken.
When is Plan B One-Step Effective?
The makers of Plan B say the drug can be taken up to three days after sex and some women’s health clinics say it can be taken up to five days after sex. It is important to follow all dosage recommendations and to be wary of any organization saying you can take the drug outside the recommended timeframe.
What is ella?
ella is a type of emergency contraception but it is different than Plan B One-Step in that it works similarly to RU-486, the abortion pill.
Is ella Safe?
Many women panic after having unprotected sex and rush to take emergency contraceptives like ella. However, it is only possible to become pregnant on a few days of your menstrual cycle. If you take ella when it’s not possible to become pregnant it needlessly exposes you to chemicals and wastes your money. A few of the most common reactions include headache, nausea, abdominal pain, menstrual cramps, fatigue, and dizziness.
The effects of ella on women under eighteen or over thirty-five, women taking other forms of hormonal contraception, pregnant women, women who are breast-feeding, women who have not started their period or after repeated use within the same menstrual cycle, is unknown.
Is ella Effective?
Ella is not effective in every case and even if taken as directed it may only reduce the chance of pregnancy. Two studies mentioned in the package insert say ella reduced the number of expected pregnancies from about 5.5% to about 2.2%. However, if you are taking hormonal contraceptives at the time you take ella those contraceptives can become less effective leaving you more vulnerable to pregnancy.
When is ella Effective?
The makers of ella say it can be taken up to five days after sex.
Taking, or not taking emergency contraception is a decision that should not be taken lightly. If you have any questions about emergency contraception, we are happy to help you find answers. We offer free and confidential support from a trained peer counselor.