Pregnant despite morning after pill: are there risks?

The morning after pill works by preventing the implantation of any potential fertilized egg. Generally speaking, the emergency contraceptive is extremely reliable. But things do go wrong sometimes, and some women do end up pregnant despite having used the morning after pill. Are there any risks to the baby in that case?

Although the failure rate of the morning after pill is not quite clear, and depends on a lot of factors (correct use being the most important one), the research I've been sifting through suggests that a little more one percent of morning after pill users ends up pregnant anyway. The morning after pill is designed to be taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse, and it does not prevent ectopic pregnancy, which takes place outside the uterus. This is something every woman should have in mind when she notices any kind of pain or pregnancy signs after taking the morning after pill.

If a normal, uterine pregnancy does come to be despite taking the emergency contraceptive, it is not clear what the potential consequences are in terms of fetal health. There has been a limited amount of research into the topic, and some medical professionals clearly hold the view that getting pregnant after having taken the morning after pill may not be what you wanted, but it wouldn't be dangerous for the fetus. Others freely admit that there simply isn't enough scientific evidence around to be able to judge this issue correctly in other words, it's unsure if there are any fetal medical risks attached to a pregnancy that happened after use of the morning after pill.

Women who took the morning after pill several cycles ago, and are now wondering how the strong hormones in this medications could affect their chances of conceiving or their baby, really shouldn't worry.