The morning-after pill

The morning-after pill
(Emergency contraception)

It is the emergency contraception recommended after an unprotected intercourse or because of the failure of the existing contraception, in order to avoid a pregnancy.

Modern methods of emergency contraception (morning-after pill) are hormonal, which includes levonorgestrel and ulipristal acetate (pill), which is the most widespread, and mechanical (endometrial spiral).
The main mechanism of action is to delay the woman’s ovulation or to prevent the implantation process in the uterus.

The probability of a pregnancy, after intercourse without adequate protection, is estimated at 15% if the intercourse took place three days before ovulation, 30% if it took place one to two days before ovulation, 12% if it took place on the day of ovulation and close to zero if it occurred one to two days after ovulation. The most effective method with the lowest failure rates (0.04-0.19%) is IUD placement, followed by ulipristal acetate with 1.4% and levonorgestrel with 2-3%. Furthermore, for ulipristal and levonorgestrel, efficacy is further reduced in overweight and obese women.

A very important parameter is the time of take of the treatment after contact, as the above percentages are valid as long as the correct time limits are observed. More specifically, for levonorgestrel, the take must be done within the next
72 hours (3 days) after intercourse, for ulipristal within the next 120 hours (5 days)while the placement of the IUD also within the next 5 days. Of course, the sooner a woman takes action, the less chance she has of an unwanted pregnancy.

Contraindications-side effects – Morning-after pill

As for the contraindications, these are few, such as pre-existing pregnancy, uncontrolled asthma, liver failure and in the case of the IUD, various anatomical anomalies or active pelvic inflammation.
The side effects are also few and minor, such as headache, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, which, however, subside quickly. It is also possible that some disturbance of the cycle will occur and the period will be delayed. It cannot be completely predicted when the next period will come as it depends on the phase of the cycle in which the pill was taken. But he should not worry as the efficiency is very high. When in doubt, a pregnancy test will take the stress away.

Morning-after pill-dosages

The dosage is simple, since for both levonorgestrel and ulipristal are a single pill. In case of vomiting within the next 3 hours, after taking the pill, a new dose is recommended.
The woman can take the pill as many times as she needs in the future, without any future health problems, apart from a temporary possible dysregulation of her cycle. But along the way, she should choose a stable method of contraception to avoid stress and hormonal fluctuations in the woman’s cycle.

In any case, it is advisable for the woman to consult the treating gynecologist, so that misunderstandings are avoided and the use is done correctly.