Emergency Contraception

What can be done to prevent pregnancy if a condom breaks, you don’t use a regular method of birth control correctly, you have sex without using any method of birth control, or someone has forced you to have sex? You can take Emergency Contraceptive Pills (ECPs).

What are Emergency Contraceptive Pills?

ECPs are very safe pills made from hormones like the ones a teen girl’s body makes after she starts having her menstrual periods. When a certain number of ECPs are taken soon after unprotected sex, they can prevent pregnancy. ECPs do not work by causing an abortion. Instead, they work by preventing ovulation. Ovulation is when the egg leaves the ovary. A pregnancy can’t happen when there is no egg to meet with sperm.

There are Different Kinds of Emergency Contraceptive Pills

• Plan B®, Plan B® One-Step and Next Choice are the most common emergency contraceptive pills used today. They use one kind of hormone, called a progestin. (In California, Next Choice is covered by the Family PACT program, right now Plan B One-Step is not.)
• Some of the regular birth control pills like Ortho Tri-Cylcen can also be used for emergency contraception. They have two types of hormones in them. One is a kind of estrogen, another is a kind of progestin. To find out what regular birth control pills can be used for emergency contraception and how to use them, ask your health provider or go to www.not-2-late.com or call 888-668-2528.

All of the emergency contraceptive pills are very safe.

When Should I Take Emergency Contraceptive Pills?

• As soon as possible! The sooner ECPs are taken, the better they work to prevent pregnancy. They work the best to prevent pregnancy if taken within 24 hours after unprotected intercourse.
• Plan B®, Plan B® One-Step, and Next Choice can still can prevent pregnancy if taken within up to 5 days of having unprotected intercourse.
• Some of the regular birth control pills can be taken up to 5 days of having unprotected intercourse.

Many women keep ECPs at home for emergencies. This allows them to take the ECPs as soon as possible.

It is Easy to Get Emergency Contraceptive Pills?

In most cases it is easy to get ECPs, especially in California.

• If someone can’t afford to buy ECPs, they are available free by going to a family planning program that is called a FPACT program. You can us the clinic finder on www.TeenSource.org or go to http//familypact.org or call 1-800-942-1054 to find a family planning program near you.
• Any teen 17 years of age or older can go into most pharmacies and buy Plan B® and Plan B® One-Step without a prescription. It is important to find out what pharmacy near you gives out ECPS.
• Teens can go to their doctor or to a family planning program and get a prescription for Plan B®, Plan B® One-Step or one of the other kinds of ECPs.
•  Many health care professionals keep ECPs in their clinic so that they can give it to teens as soon as possible.
• Many clinics will even give teens ECPs in advance of needing them in case an emergency happens.

The National EC Hotline website at www.not-2-late.com and 1-888-668-2528 can also be used to find a place to get ECPs anywhere in the United States.

How Well Do Emergency Contraceptive Pills Work?

If 100 women have unprotected sex one time during the second or third week of their normal menstrual cycle, about 8 will get pregnant if they don’t take any kind of ECPs.

If 100 women take Plan B®, Plan B® One-Step, or Next Choice within 72 hours of having unprotected intercourse, only 1 will get pregnant. If the ECPs are taken within 24 hours of unprotected sex, they are even more effective.

How do I take Emergency Contraceptive Pills?

Important: Teens should always talk with a health provider or a pharmacist to make sure they get the proper ECP taking instructions.

• Plan B® and Next Choice – Take 1 pill as soon as possible (within 5 days at the latest). Take another pill 12 hours later. Both pills can also be taken together at the same time.
• Plan B® One-Step - Take 1 pill as soon as possible (within 5 days at the latest).
• Regular Birth Control Pills - The instructions for using birth control pills as ECPs are different then Plan B. To learn how to use birth control pills for emergency contraception, talk to your health care provider. You can also find instructions for using birth control pills as ECPs at www.not-2-late.com

How Many Times Can I Take Emergency Contraceptive Pills?

There is no limit as to the number of times ECPs can be taken.

It is very important to remember that ECPs don’t work as well as many of the other methods of birth control. This means just because they worked one time, doesn’t mean they will work again. Emergency Contraception shouldn’t be used as a main method of birth control for anyone.

How Do I Know if the Emergency Contraceptive Pills Worked?

The only way of knowing if the ECPs worked is when you get your next period. You may get your period when you normally expected to have it. It can also happen one week earlier or one week later than usual. You may even have more bleeding with your period.

If the period doesn’t come within seven days when it normally is expected or when it does come, it is lighter than usual, you may be pregnant . You should go to a clinic or your doctor right away.

Will Emergency Contraceptive Pills Hurt a Pregnancy?

No. If you take ECPs accidently when you are pregnant, there is no scientific information that shows they will hurt the pregnancy . They will also not cause an abortion.

Do Emergency Contraceptive Pills Work as Well as the Pill, Patch, Ring, Implant or IUD?

No. All the other methods of birth control work better than ECPs when they are used correctly.

Will Emergency Contraceptive Pills Protect Against Sexually Transmitted Infections?

No. ECPs will not protect anyone from getting any of the sexually transmitted infections and HIV.