ask your pharmacist

back to: pharmacy | ask your pharmacist

Is there a “morning after pill”?

Yes. The “morning after pill”, or emergency contraception pill (ECP), is available by prescription (Preven and Plan B) for women and girls under 18 and over-the-counter (Plan B) for women 18 and over. It can prevent pregnancy after you’ve had unprotected sex or when accidents occur, such as a condom breaking during sex. You need to take the first dose of ECP within 72 hours of intercourse, with a second dose 12 hours later.

Again, two types of ECPs are available. One is Preven. Like regular birth control pills, it contains the hormones estrogen and progestin, but in higher doses. The other is called Plan B, which contains only progestin. Depending on when you take an ECP during your menstrual cycle, the drug can temporarily prevent the release of an egg, prevent fertilization, or stop a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus. ECPs are not mifepristione (RU-486), the “abortion pill”. Mifepristone is a completely different drug that can cause termination as far along as the second month of pregnancy.

ECPs are quite effective. Among 100 women who have an episode of unprotected sex, eight may get pregnant. This number goes down to two in 100 with the use of estrogen/progestin pills. With the progestin-only pill, the number of pregnancies can drop to just one in 100.

The most common side effects of ECPs are nausea and vomiting. These side effects are twice as common with estrogen/progestin pills as they are with the progestin-only pills. Doctors can prescribe anti-nausea medicines to reduce these effects.

ECPs should not be used in place of regular birth control methods. Also, they don’t provide protection against sexually transmitted diseases.

If you would like more information about ECPs, call your doctor or the toll-free Emergency Contraception Hotline at 1-888-NOT-2-LATE. This 24-hour hotline can also give you a list of providers nearest you who prescribe ECPs.

Sources:
Micromedex® Healthcare Series. Thomson Micromedex, 2006.
Contraceptive Technology. Ardent Media, 1998.
Wellbery C. “Emergency contraception” Archives of Family Medicine 9 (2000).
Drug Facts and Comparisons. Facts & Comparisons, 2006.

This answer prepared 2/13/2001.
This information updated 12/05/2006.