The morning after pill is an emergency postcoital contraception. Postcoital contraception refers to a contraceptive measure that, if taken after sex, may prevent pregnancy. The morning after pill works by preventing ovulation and fertilization. The way in which is does this is by creating extra hormones within the body to making the lining of the uterus wall very slippery. This stops the fertilized egg from attaching itself to the uterus wall and forming a baby. The morning after pill also works by stopping the ovaries releasing eggs.
There are many different brand names of morning after pill but all contain the same active ingredient to prevent one from getting pregnant. You should only ever take the morning after pill if you believe you are pregnant from a contraceptive mistake or from not using contraception. You should only ever take the morning after pill after sex and not as a preventative measure. The morning after pill can come in one single dose, or can come as two doses to be taken 12 hours apart. The morning after pill is most effective up to 24 hours after sexual intercourse but can be taken up to 72 hours after. The sooner it is taken the more chance it has of being effective. Contrary to popular belief your age does not have any impact on whether the morning after pill is successful or not, it is just the time in which it is taken that makes any difference.
To obtain the morning after pill you can either visit your general practitioner (GP) or visit your local pharmacy. The morning after pill is usually free of charge from your doctor but you may not be able to get an appointment in time and so pharmacies can be a more convenient option. Whilst convenient a pharmacy cannot offer what a doctor can. A doctor can give medical advice, check your medical history and do tests before prescribing the morning after pill, where as a pharmacist cannot. If the doctors is not an option, over 16’s can usually buy the morning after pill from a chemist but the price tag is around 25. Some chemists do provide free contraception.
Side effects have also been known from taking the morning after pill. Side effects include but are not limited to headache, nausea, painful breasts and irregular vaginal bleeding. You do not need to see your doctor if you do not have any side effects. However the biggest side effect is pregnancy. If you believe that the morning after pill has been unsuccessful then you should book an appointment immediately with your doctor and seek advice. If you do become pregnant after taking the morning after pill there is no known harm caused to the woman or baby.
The morning after pill can work up to 72 hours but is not the last option in terms of preventing pregnancy. After the 72 hours is up you have the option of having an IUD fitted up to 5 days after intercourse has occurred.
Read more about the Morning After Pill. Find out information about the Morning After Pill Cost, Side Effects and effectiveness.