Emergency contraception is contraception that can prevent pregnancy when used in accordance with clear rules. Contraception is also called the morning after pill or the morning after treatment.
Emergency contraception is a form of birth control. You can
use this method if you have had unprotected sex. For example, if your regular
birth control fails (the condom breaks during sex), if you forget to take your
birth control pills or if you have sex without using any birth control.
There are 2 types of emergency contraception. With the
first, you take special doses of birth control pills. With the other, an
intrauterine device (also called an IUD) is placed in your uterus (or womb).
How do I use emergency contraception?
The first kind of emergency contraception, sometimes called
the "morning-after pill," is taken in two doses. You can start taking
this kind of emergency contraception right away after having unprotected sex.
The sooner you take it, the better it works, but you can take the first dose
within 120 hours (5 days)after having unprotected sex. You take the second dose
12 hours after the first. Your doctor may tell you about other ways of taking
this medicine.
There is a brand of pills made just for emergency
contraception. It is called Plan B (levonorgestrel). Plan B contains only
progestin.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also has said that
some brands of regular birth control pills are safe for emergency use. The
number of pills you take in each dose depends on which brand of pills you are
using. To learn more about which pills are safe for emergency use, talk with
your doctor.
An IUD that is placed in your uterus within 7 days after
unprotected sex also can be used as emergency contraception. An IUD is a small
device that can be left in your body for 5 to 10 years. It will prevent
pregnancy during that time.
Bayer’s Yaz Consumer’s Death Probed By Swiss Agency (Update1)
Bayer AG, Germany’s largest drugmaker, said its Yaz contraceptive is part of an investigation by a Swiss health regulator into the death of a young woman who took the pill.
The Swissmedic agency and an investigative judge are looking into the case of the woman, who died from the effects of pulmonary embolism, Bayer’s Swiss health unit said in a statement posted on its Web site yesterday. Bayer is cooperating with the authorities, the company said.
“A singular case, as tragic and sad as it is, does not indicate an increased risk for the whole group of women who take the pill,” Oliver Renner, a Berlin-based spokesman for Bayer, said in an interview today. “Studies have shown that the risk isn’t higher for Yaz than for other oral contraceptives.”
Leverkusen, Germany-based Bayer’s Yasmin, Yaz and Yasminelle contraceptives brought in $1.86 billion for Bayer in the first quarter, and Yasmin and Yaz are the two biggest- selling contraceptives worldwide, according to IMS Health Inc., a Norwalk, Connecticut-based market research company.
Bayer will also probe the matter, said Renner. In a case like that, the company routinely conducts its own investigation, he added.
The regulator was alerted to the “sudden” death of the woman, who had been taking the contraceptive for ten months, Swissmedic said on its Web site. Thromboembolic complications are well known yet rare side-effects of hormone-based contraceptives and the risk is also increased during pregnancy, the agency said.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Karin Matussek in Berlin at kmatussek@bloomberg.net.
prevent pregnancy in women who have had unprotected sex. It can be used following many different situations including rape, unplanned acts of intercourse, or when a birth control method fails. For example, if a condom breaks, a diaphragm slips out of place, or a woman forgets to take birth control pills.
Emergency contraception medicine is not the same as the "abortion pill." A woman who knows she is pregnant takes the abortion pill with the intent to end an early pregnancy (usually 4 to 7 weeks after conception). Emergency contraception pills are taken after unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy from occurring.
Unlike most types of birth control, which must be put in place or taken before intercourse, emergency contraception can be used up to 5 days after intercourse.
TYPE OF EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION
Several types of emergency contraception drugs are available.
Birth control pills can be used for emergency contraception. You must take two to five "regular" pills together to equal one dose of emergency contraception.
There is only one FDA-approved emergency contraception pill. The brand name is Plan B. It is similar to some birth control pills, but contains higher levels of hormones. Plan B contains two pills, each containing levonorgestrel, which you take at the same time. It is available over-the-counter for purchase by anyone age 18 and older and by prescription for younger patients.
Emergency contraception pills work best when taken as soon as possible after intercourse. Ideally, the medicine should be taken within 72 hours after unprotected intercourse, but it may be effective for up to 5 days.
Emergency contraceptives work by preventing or delaying the release of an egg (ovulation).
An intrauterine device (IUD) may help prevent against contraception if put into place within 7 days after unprotected intercourse. An IUD is a birth control device that is inserted into a woman's uterus by a health care provider. However, IUDs are intended to provide long-term birth control for 1-10 years.
Emergency contraception pills prevent about 75 - 89% of pregnancies that occur after unprotected sexual intercourse. Emergency contraception by IUD insertion is even more effective. However, pregnancy still occur in a small number of cases in those who use emergency contraception.
SIDE EFFECTS
Mild and often unpleasant side effects from emergency contraception medication may include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fatigue, headache, and changes in menstrual bleeding. Nausea and vomiting are most common when an estrogen-containing pill is used. These side effects are less common with Plan B, which contains a synthetic progesterone.
Some doctors recommend taking a drug to prevent nausea and vomiting (an antiemetic medication) before taking the emergency contraception pills to prevent such side effects.
After taking emergency contraception, a woman's next menstrual cycle may start earlier or later than expected and the menstrual flow may be lighter or heavier than usual. Most women will start their next period within 7 days of the expected date. If a woman's menstrual bleeding does not start within 3 weeks after taking emergency contraception, she might be pregnant and should call or visit her health care provider.
IUD placement has risks of pelvic infection and uterine injury, although these are quite rare. Long-term use of an IUD for birth control may cause side effects, such as heavy menstrual bleeding and painful menstrual cramps.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
Women who believe that they are already pregnant and may have been for longer than several days should not take emergency contraception medicine, since their effects have not been well studied. Also, women who have vaginal bleeding for an unknown reason should discuss this with their health care provider before taking emergency contraception.
Women who cannot take birth control pills regularly may often still be able to use emergency contraceptives, but they should also discuss this option with their health care provider.
If emergency contraception fails and the woman becomes pregnant, there do not appear to be any long-term effects on the pregnancy or the fetus.
Emergency contraception should not be used as a routine birth control method, because it is actually less effective at preventing pregnancies than most types of birth control.
