The truth about morning after pills: The chances of failure of a regular contraceptive pill to avoid pregnancy are merely 0.001%.That of a Copper-T is 1 to 2%. With condoms it is 3 to 6% and in comparison to all these, the chances of failure to avoid pregnancy in a morning after pill are 13%. To be effective, the pill has to be taken within 24 hours of the intercourse. If the pill is consumed later than that the failure rate in avoiding pregnancy is more.

The general belief is that these pills do not have any kind of side effects and that they are absolutely safe. However, gynecologists have a different story to tell.

An emergency contraceptive pill should be used only in a one-off situation and should not be consumed on a regular basis. Many women have started using this pill almost every day or fortnightly or even once a week.

Morning after pills contain a high dosage of hormones that prevent pregnancy, as a result of which regular intake of these hormones disturb a woman’s menstrual cycle. If this pill is taken in the first half of the menstrual cycle, periods will be preponed and if taken in the second half, periods will be postponed.

Consuming these pills on a regular basis could in fact increase the risk of unwanted pregnancies. These pills are not as effective as regular contraceptive pills and could in fact fail in preventing pregnancies.

Emergency contraceptive pills do not protect you from sexually transmitted diseases like the way condoms do. And sometimes, you can also suffer from nausea accompanied with the feeling of heaviness, though these are temporary.

If a woman gets pregnant after having these pills, then the chances are that the child will have some kinds of defect.

Gynecologists recommend women have regular contraceptive pills. The contraceptive pills have lesser dosage of the hormones that avoid pregnancy than in morning after pills. Hence, they are safer than the emergency contraceptive pills.

Answered by subbie , an ibibo Advisor, at 11:01 AM on October 01, 2009