The morning after pill is emergency contraception that can be used to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex. If an accident happens (condom breaks, forget to take your birth control pills, your partner doesn’t pull out in time) and you had unprotected sex, you can take the morning after pill to safely prevent yourself from getting pregnant.
How it works:
You don’t get pregnant immediately after sex. It can take up to six days for the sperm and egg to join. What emergency contraception pills do is they keep a woman’s ovary from releasing an egg for longer than usual which prevents pregnancy from occurring because the egg and sperm can’t join.
Morning after pills are not abortion pills they are a form of emergency birth control.
Effectiveness:
The morning after pill is extremely effective. If taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex, it is 89% effective. Now saying that, it’s not something you should be taking regularly, it’s called emergency contraceptive for a reason. Don’t use it as a form of birth control and take it after sex every time. You should think about going on some form of birth control if you’re sexually active.
Is it safe?
Yes, it is safe but it’s not something you should be taking regularly. Millions of women use it without any complications. I’ve taken it before and it worked well without getting sick or anything bad happening. The only thing it tends to do is change your period, either making it lighter or heavier. It can also make you feel nauseous, so I suggest taking it with food.
How can you get it?
Emergency Contraception is available to ANYONE no matter your age, at any drugstore without a prescription. It costs around $50-$70. Apparently there are a couple brands that won’t sell it to anyone under the age of 16 without a prescription but you can get Plan B One-Step and Next Choice at any age without a prescription. They are also available at any Planned Parenthood. It is important to note that the sooner you take the morning after pill, after unprotected sex, the more effective it will be. Just follow the instructions, some packages have one pill, some have two. And take it as soon as you can. Then really think about going on some form of birth control!
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