* EC can prevent pregnancy if taken within 120 hours of unprotected sex
* EC is available from Planned Parenthood health centers and other health care providers
* EC Pills reduce the risk of pregnancy by 75%

You may want Emergency Contraception if:

* The condom broke or slipped off
* You had unprotected sex
* You forgot to take your birth control pills two days in a row
* Your diaphragm or cervical cap slipped out of place
* He forced you to have unprotected sex

EC does not protect you against sexually transmitted infections.

Emergency Contraception Pills

Emergency contraception pills are two special doses of birth control pills. You may be given regular pill packs or pills packaged just for EC. Some health care providers will want take your medical history before giving the medication. Some may ask for your consent by signature or verbally over the phone.

How Emergency Contraception Pills Work

The pills either keep the ovary from releasing an egg or change the lining of the uterus (womb) so that a fertilized egg may not attach and develop into a pregnancy. EC does not cause abortion. Currently there is no reason to believe that EC pills will harm a fetus. However, it is advised that you not use EC if you are pregnant.

How to Use Emergency Contraception Pills

The number of pills you take depends on the brand of pills you are given. Your health care provider or pharmacist will tell you how many and what type of pills to take. You must use only one type of pill and use it for both doses. The second dose is taken 12 hours after the first dose.

It is possible to use your own birth control pills as emergency contraception. Many common oral contraceptive pills can be used as EC, although their manufacturers do not label the pills for this use. The FDA has declared the folowing 11 brands of birth control pills as safe and effective when used as emergency contraception:

Pill Brand - Manufacturer - Pills per Dose
Alesse® - Wyeth-Ayerst - 5 pink pills
Levlen® - Berlex - 4 light-orange
Levlite® - Berlex - 5 pink pills
Levora® - Watson - 4 white pills
Lo/Ovral® - Wyeth-Ayerst - 4 white pills
Low-Ogestrel® - Watson - 4 white pills
Nordette® - Wyeth-Ayerst - 4 light-orange pills
Ovral® - Wyeth-Ayerst - 2 white pills
Tri-Levlen® - Berlex - 4 yellow pills
Triphasil® - Wyeth-Ayerst - 4 yellow pills
Trivora® - Watson - 4 pink pills

Planned Parenthood strongly recommends that you come into the clinic if you need emergency contraception. Call 1-800-230-PLAN today.

First Dose: Swallow the first dose no later than 120 hours (five days) after having unprotected sex. You might feel nauseous. You may want to eat a snack of saltines or soda crackers or drink a glass of milk 30 minutes before taking each dose to avoid vomiting. Your health care provider may prescribe an anti-nausea medication or suggest you use an over-the-counter product such as Dramamine® or Emetrol®. You can also ask the pharmacist for an anti-nausea medication. Anti-nausea products may cause mild side effects such as lightheadedness, dizziness or feeling spacey. Please follow the directions on the package insert.

Second Dose: Swallow the second dose 12 hours after taking the first dose. If vomiting occurred after the first dose, be sure to use an anti-nausea medication 30 minutes before taking the second dose. Or you may want to take the second dose by putting the pills as high into the vagina as you can reach with your fingers. (The medication will be absorbed through the vaginal tissues). If you do vomit the second dose, do not take any extra pills. Extra pills won't help prevent pregnancy but may make you nauseous.
After You Take the Pills

* Your next period may be earlier or later than usual
* Your flow may be heavier, lighter or more spotty than usual
* If you visit other health care providers before you get your period, remember to tell them that you have taken EC
* Schedule a follow-up visit with your health care provider and get a pregnancy test if you do not have your period in three weeks
* Be sure to use another method of birth control, such as condoms, if you have sex anytime before you get your period again

Side Effects

* EC side effects usually lessen one or two days after the second dose has been taken
* Half of all women who use EC feel nauseous
* Up to one out of three women vomit
* Breast tenderness, irregular bleeding, fluid retention, and headaches may also occur
* Frequent use of EC may cause irregular or unpredictable periods

Effectiveness

* Emergency contraception pills reduce the risk of pregnancy by 75%.
* EC is meant for emergencies only. It is not as effective as using other birth control methods all the time such as the Birth Control Pill, Depo-Provera®, or the IUD.
* Other methods of birth control must be used even after you have taken EC. EC only works for the sexual act that happened in the past 72 hours.

EC does not protect you against sexually-transmitted infections (STIs). You should get an STI test if you might have gotten an STI when you had unprotected sex.