In Case of Emergency: Everything You Need to Know About The Morning After Pill

It’s the morning after. You open your eyes and start to stretch before realizing: you never took your birth control yesterday. It’s a gut-wrenching feeling and one that many women experience. After unprotected sex or experiencing a birth control failure, many women panic because they are not aware of the resources available to them such as emergency contraception.

What is Emergency Contraception?

One such form of emergency contraception is the morning after pill. This pill is essentially just a massive dose of the contraceptive hormones contained in everyday birth control such as levonorgestrel. When taken correctly the pill can reduce your chances of conceiving by up to 93%. You should take the pill as soon as possible after having unprotected sex, research shows that the optimal window of time is within 72 hours of intercourse. Besides time, several other factors impact the effectiveness of the pill. A recent study has shown there to be a direct correlation between patient weight and preventing unplanned pregnancy via the pill. In patients 165 pounds or more the pill was reported to be less effective. Additionally, several drug interactions can affect how well the pill works for you, including:

• Saint John’s Wart
• Griseofulvin
• Rifampin
• Seizure medication
• HIV medication

It is important to note that not all seizure and HIV medications will interact with your emergency contraceptive, so if you are concerned or have questions about drug interactions you should speak to a medical professional.

Is The Morning After Pill Safe?

First and foremost, you should know that if pregnancy does occur even after taking emergency contraception, the pill will not have any adverse effects on the fetus. The pill will also not impact breastfeeding babies or your fertility and future ability to get pregnant. Most patients reported little to no side effects after taking the pill, and no serious or life-threatening side effects have ever been reported. In fact, the list of reported side effects is so similar to typical menstrual cycle symptoms you may not even notice them at all. These effects include dizziness, headaches, fatigue and uterine or abdominal pain. The most serious common side effect was nausea and vomiting, which runs the risk of dehydration so be sure to track your water intake. Additionally, vomiting within two hours of taking the pill may result in your body failing to absorb the levonorgestrel; in this case, another pill should be taken, and it is the only time you should do so. You may experience these side effects anywhere from a few days or until your next menstrual cycle. Your menstrual cycle may also be abnormal this month due to the massive dose of hormones in the pill. If you are concerned about the irregularity in your menstrual cycle or do not get a menstrual cycle a few weeks after taking the pill you should take an at-home pregnancy test and contact your doctor as soon as possible.

Unprotected sex, whether it happens from birth control failure or not, is not uncommon. Many women make the choice every day to protect themselves from unplanned pregnancy, and thus there are many options available to support that choice. Just remember, like countless women before you your choice is nobody’s business but your own, and you’re not alone in this.

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