The Morning After Pill

The 'morning after pill' is an emergency contraception that helps prevent pregnancy if you haven't used protection (condom) while having sex or if you think the contraception has failed for some reason. Though a number of people talk about morning after pills as something that needs to be taken immediately in the morning that follows sex, there are pills that can even be taken up to 72 hours after unprotected sex.

Types of Morning after pills

You have the option of choosing from amongst 4 types of such emergency contraception pills.

First type (containing progestin)

With Levonelle 1500 as one of the leading medicines in this category, this type of pills is called morning-after pills that primarily contain a hormone called progestin. You need to take a pill as soon as possible after sex to reduce your risk of pregnancy. To make the best use of morning after pills, it's a good idea to consult your gynecologist. Some of the side effects of taking this drug include feeling sick to the stomach or throwing up immediately after taking this medication.

Second type (using both progestin and estrogen)

These after morning pills are also known as “combined emergency contraceptive pill” and they have a good success rate of helping preventing pregnancy. Side effect of these pills include nausea and vomiting.

Third type (with ulipristal acetate)

These are morning after pills with ellaOne (ulipristal acetate) leading the way. ellaOne 30mg is a progesterone-only oral contraceptive pill available in the EU countries. Its a well tolerated drug and has been found to be very effective.

The fourth type of of contraceptive pills is currently only available in China and contains a substance known as mifepristone. This is yet another pill that has found to be highly effective with very few side effects.

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Effectiveness of morning after pills

The effectiveness of these pills has been backed by various studies. The trick to making effective use of the morning after pills is to take them quickly without wasting valuable time. The more time that you take to these pills, the more you increase your chance of becoming pregnant. Its important to understand that none of the after morning pills on the market can promise 100% success in terms of being able to avoid pregnancy but the rate of failure is not very high.

To judge the effectiveness of the morning after pill, you must wait for your next menstrual period. If it doesn't occur withing 2-4 weeks of having taken the pill, you might be pregnant and need to undergo a pregnancy test.

Side effects

You need to be aware of certain side effects of taking such pills. The most common side effect of taking this medication is sickness in the stomach or headache. Other side effects of these pills can include stomach ache, diarrhoea, dizziness, fatigue, and breast tenderness. The symptoms aren't bothersome and only last for very little time. Typically, you will fare well when you take the morning after pills and suffer from no side effect of this medication.

Safety information

Before taking this pill consult your gynecologist. He/she can be the best person to advise you as to whether the pills are the right option for you or not. Before taking the pill, make sure that you aren't allergic to any of the ingredients of this medication. A doctor can ask you to stay away from such a morning after pill if you are suffering from a condition of the bowel/gut which can result in malabsorption. A woman suffering liver disease is also advised against taking this medication. Certain medications can interact with your use of a morning after pill, so inform your doctor about the medication you are currently taking, both prescription and over the counter.

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