MORNING AFTER PILL
What is the Morning After Pill? The morning after pill (also known as emergency contraception) is promoted as a quick and easy answer for unprotected sex, but there are some important things you should know before taking the pill.7
What it is…
The morning after pill comes in two forms: Progestin-only pill and Estrogen and Progestin combination pill.
The morning after pill contains the same hormone as regular birth control pills, but the dosage prescribed is several times the strength of a daily birth control pill.
What it does…
The morning after pill works like a birth control pill. See section on Birth control pills.
Important warnings:
The morning after pill has possible side effects:
-
Approximately 1 out of 4 women studied experience menstrual bleeding and nausea.
-
Approximately 1 out of 5 women studied experience abdominal pain, fatigue, and headache.
Other side effects include:
-
Changes in menstrual cycle
-
Breast tenderness
-
Dizziness
-
Vomiting
Also, you may be at an increased risk of having an ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy developing somewhere other than in the uterus) should you take the morning after pill and become pregnant. Ectopic pregnancies can be, on rare occasion, fatal if you are not able to identify it and get medical attention immediately.
You Have Options:
Only eight out of one hundred women will become pregnant after a single act of intercourse during the middle two weeks of their menstrual cycle (during the approximate time of ovulation). By taking the morning after pill, you may be putting yourself at risk for no reason.
Source: The Morning After Pill. CareNet | 