Emergency contraception or the morning after pill is a hormonal treatment administered if another form of birth control has failed, or when no protection was used. The same hormones present in the regular birth control pill are used in the morning after pill with the only mention that the concentration of the ingredients is a bit higher. Nevertheless, the concentrations are different, which makes the regular use of the morning after pill a potential health threat.
The morning after pill should be used as soon as possible after you have unprotected sex. Normally it can be used within three or five days after intercourse, but the sooner you act, the better for you. The efficiency is higher when you use the pill earlier. Do not mistake this birth control method for the abortion pill, because this is not the effect it produces. Emergency contraception simply prevents ovulation, and changes the lining of the uterus so that it cannot allow the egg to nest.
The efficiency rate is high and the chances of side effects are pretty reduced. The usual adverse reactions to hormonal treatments may appear nonetheless: nausea, headaches, breast tenderness and spotting. Read the list of side effects carefully as all packages have detailed specification on this matter for your birth control purpose. The morning after pill should not be used by women who suffer from severe liver disease or porphyria. There are also drugs and herbal supplements that interact with the morning after pill decreasing its efficiency.
Get a drug prescription right away if you need the morning after pill. Do specify that you need the morning after pill urgently, in order not to be appointed for some later date. The risk of unwanted pregnancy is higher if you don’t act right away. In some states, you can also buy the morning after pill without prescription. The cost could be a problem, as some pharmacies sell the morning after pill at very high prices. Emergency contraception can be accessed freely with certain organizations, but you need to know where to call.
The morning after pill does not protect you for the entire menstrual cycle, and after you take it you are again exposed to the appearance of pregnancy if you don’t use another birth control method. Do not use more emergency contraceptives in the same month because of the health risks that hormonal imbalances could lead to. Either abstain from sex or rely on some serious birth control method.