Emergency contraception dangers

Morning after pill

Every woman in the world has heard of a morning after pill or emergency contraception. This particular pill is used by women when they do not want to get pregnant after they had had unprotected sex. People should know that there are two forms of emergency contraception. The first form is the morning after pill, which is also known as emergency contraception and it is a particular drug that prevents ovulation or fertilization. People should not mix morning after pills with medical abortion methods that act after implantation. The second form of emergency contraception is an intrauterine device or IUD. This device is in most cases used as primary contraception method. However, sometimes it can be used as an emergency contraceptive as well.

Morning after pills

It is not known by all that morning after pills contain even higher doses of the same hormones that are found in regular oral contraceptive pills. The main reason why they have higher doses is because they are supposed to prevent pregnancies from occurring. Experts claim that morning after pills should be taken within the 72 hours after having unprotected sex in order for them to work.

Types of morning after pills

One of the many types of morning after pills is progestin-only method and people should know that it can be purchased in various countries all over the world. Some of those countries are the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Portugal and many more. Another method is combined or Yuzpe regimen and it uses large doses of both oestrogen and progestin but experts claim that this method is no longer as effective and tolerated as the progestin-only method. The drug mifepristone is another emergency contraception which can be used either before or after the implantation. People should know that lower doses of this drug are not as effective as higher doses but there are also fewer side effects as well. However, people should be aware that mifepristone is not approved for emergency contraception in the US.

Effectiveness of morning after pills

According to the data, levonogestrel treatment is thought to prevent 89% of all expected pregnancies, while emergency contraception reduces the risk of pregnancies by 75%. This percentage covers only one usage of emergency contraception and experts claim that the percentage would be higher if the pill was taken within the first 12 hours after the intercourse. Doctors say that pill should be taken up to 72 hours after the intercourse and if that time has passed, the woman should use IUD for emergency contraception. There was not a case recorded when the side effects of using morning after pills outweigh the benefits. However, women should talk to a doctor before taking any form of emergency contraception.