Contents:
- Medical Video: Emergency Contraceptive Pills: How They Work, Safety and Side Effects
- Get to know the morning-after pill
- Effectiveness of the morning-after pill as emergency contraception
- Emergency contraceptive pills are not a hundred percent guarantee
Medical Video: Emergency Contraceptive Pills: How They Work, Safety and Side Effects
Contraception is used to prevent pregnancy during sexual intercourse. However, if you have had unprotected sex or you forget to take birth control pills on schedule, you can still prevent pregnancy with emergency contraception, the morning-after pill. This is a hormone pill that you can consume after having sex. How effective is this pill working in preventing pregnancy?
Get to know the morning-after pill
Morning-after pill is emergency contraception (condar) needed by women to prevent pregnancy. This is a form of contraception used after having sex.
You can use emergency contraception because you forget to use a condom during sex, a condom is damaged during sex, you forget to use a normal birth control method, or you are forced to have unprotected sex.
There are two types of morning-after pill that are most commonly used, namely levonelle and EllaOne. The morning-after pill is not the same as an abortion drug and will not end a pregnancy that has already occurred. This pill can only reduce the risk of pregnancy after sex.
Of course this pill also has side effects. Side effects caused are nausea, vomiting, breast pain, abdominal pain, dizziness, and the body feels weak, but these side effects can improve quickly around 1-2 days.
Effectiveness of the morning-after pill as emergency contraception
The Morning-after Pill is one of the emergency contraceptives in the form of pills that are consumed after sexual intercourse. The effectiveness of this pill in preventing pregnancy depends on which type is used.
Levonelle pills contain levonorgestrel, 89 percent effective when taken less than 72 hours (3 days) after unprotected sex. This pill will continue to protect you for up to five days after sexual intercourse. Its efficacy will decrease over time.
Meanwhile, EllaOne pills contain ulipristal acetate, 85 percent effective when taken less than five days after unprotected sexual intercourse and the effectiveness remains the same during that period. If you take less than 3 days it will be more effective than levonelle pills.
Therefore, the sooner you drink, these emergency contraceptive pills will be more effective.
The effectiveness of emergency contraception was also reported in a study published in 2010. The study combined two results of clinical trials, and showed that of 1,714 women who took ulipristal acetate, 22 women (1.3 percent) experienced pregnancy. Meanwhile, of the 1,731 women who drank levonorgestrel, as many as 38 women (2.2 percent) were pregnant.
Emergency contraceptive pills are not a hundred percent guarantee
Emergency contraceptive pills are not effective in preventing pregnancy, if taken before having sex without other contraception.
Because these contraceptive pills work by delaying ovulation (release of eggs). If fertilization and implantation have occurred, levonorgestrel will not prevent pregnancy. Meanwhile, ulipristal acetate works by delaying ovulation and can help prevent implantation.
In addition, the effectiveness of this pill is not the same as birth control pills that are routinely taken. Therefore, you should not use these pills too often. Use in an emergency or just forced.
Also, you need to consult a doctor if you don't experience menstruation after taking emergency contraceptive pills. Because this pill does not prevent all pregnancies. In addition, these pills also cannot prevent sexually transmitted diseases, so you still need a condom if you are afraid of contracting a sexually transmitted disease.
