More about emergency contraception

Millions of women use emergency contraceptive pills for preventing an unwanted pregnancy. These pills can be used after unprotected sexual intercourse or in case the condom splits. These pills are known as emergency contraceptive pills as they are meant to be used during an emergency. Contraceptive pills of this kind are not meant for use on a regular basis; take them only if you really need them. Regular use of these pills can bring with it some side effects, which can harm your health. Popularly, emergency contraceptive pill are known as morning-after pills.

Sometimes, these pills need to be taken twice a day. You are required to take the first dose as soon as possible after unprotected sexual intercourse and the second dose within 12 hours of taking the first one. You need to ask your doctor about what you need to do just in case you overdose. Using these pills soon after failed or forgotten contraception will increase your chances of staying away from a pregnancy. In some pills such as Plan B or Next Choice, you can take both doses at the same time. Clinical trials have revealed that progestin-only emergency pills are more effective than combined pills and the sooner you use them, the better the results are.

Just keep in mind that you use these pills only after consulting a doctor. Only a good doctor can check whether or not your body can adjust to a medication. Sometimes you can suffer from side effects of emergency contraceptives. This can be avoided if you consult a doctor before using any pill. Feeling sick to the stomach after taking these pills and mild nausea are the two most commonly reported side effects.

EllaOne

One of the most well publicised contraceptives to be launched on the market is ellaOne. This medication works by releasing progesterone and tricking the body into believing that ovulation has already occurred. This drug also prevents the fertilized egg from being embedded in the womb. Now if this does not happen, the foetus does not develop. This revolutionary drug can be used for up to 120 hours after unprotected sexual intercourse. Before this pill was launched, women could prevent a pregnancy only up to 3 days after unprotected sexual intercourse but this pill has expanded the hour of protection and now women can prevent a pregnancy for a longer time.

Levonelle

This emergency contraceptive pill can be bought on a prescription and is used for reducing the chances of getting pregnant after unprotected sexual intercourse or failure of a conventional contraceptive method. The active ingredient in this pill is levonorgestrel, which is a synthetderivate of progesterone.

So, if you get caught up in the heat of the moment at any point of time in your life, you should consider using emergency contraceptives such as ellaone and lavonelle.