Emergency Contraceptive Pills
Q. Are there any side effects when using the Emergency Birth Control?
A. Women have complained of nausea and vomiting after starting the "Morning after Pill". Your health care provider can prescribe medication to help control the nausea. Despite these symptoms, it is very important that you complete the entire treatment to ensure that the treatment is successful. If the nausea becomes unbearable, contact your health care provider. Using this emergency birth control method may also delay the start of your next period. Not all women experience this side effect.
Q. What should I do after taking the series of pills?
A. After taking the pills, be sure to use another form of contraception (condoms plus a spermicidal is best) if you have vaginal intercourse before your next period. If your regular form of birth control is the pill, you should start a new pack on the first day of your next period.
Q. How do I know if this method of emergency birth control worked?
A. Your regular period should start at about the expected time. Although the treatment could delay the menstrual cycle, you should get a regular period. If you do not get a regular period, contact your family doctor.
Q. What if I use this method of birth control but still become pregnant?
A. There is no data on the effects of increased amounts of hormones on a fetus. Some women opt to terminate the pregnancy.
Q. Who can use this method?
A. This form of emergency birth control is available to most women. If you can use birth control pills as a regular form of birth control, then you can probably use this emergency method also. If you think that you may want to consider this contraceptive, your family doctor can give you a prescription. Women with breast cancer, high blood pressure, who are already pregnant, or have had blood clots should not use this method. Your family doctor can help you choose an alternative method if you have any of these medical conditions. All women should remember that this is a last resort contraceptive. Consider all your options and plan a regular contraceptive method with your physician.
Q. How does emergency birth control differ from the "Abortion Pill”?
A. Emergency birth control works by preventing the possibly fertilized egg from reaching the uterus. The Abortion Pill works after implantation has occurred and pregnancy is established.
You might find yourself feeling queasy and some women throw up after taking emergency contraceptive pills. You might also get a headache, feel tired or dizzy, have some lower abdominal pain, or find your breasts are more tender than usual. If you do feel this way, it should stop within a day or two. Some women also find that the female hormones in the pills (either progestin alone or a combination of progestin and estrogen) cause unexpected bleeding; this is not dangerous and should clear up by the time you have your next period. The pills might also cause your next period to come early or late. (For more information about how emergency contraception might affect your monthly cycle,).
One large study by the World Health Organization looked at the side effects from the two types of emergency contraceptive pills. About one in four (23%) women who use progestin-only emergency contraceptive pills feels sick to her stomach. A very small proportion of women (6%, or about one in 17) throw up after taking these pills. Nausea and vomiting are more common after taking “combined” emergency contraceptive pills: Roughly half (51%) of all women feel sick to their stomachs and about one in 4 (23%) throw up. To prevent nausea and vomiting, you can take the non-prescription anti-nausea medicine meclizine (also sold under the brand names Dramamine II or Bonine). Research shows that taking two 25 mg tablets 1 hour before using combined emergency contraceptive pills reduces the risk of nausea by 27% and vomiting by 64%, but this d
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8:06 PM on October 17, 2009
