What Are Your Options for Emergency Contraception?

There’s no getting around it; contraception is vital to your sexual health. Without birth control, you are putting your wellbeing at a high risk of unwanted pregnancies. Without a barrier method of contraception, your wellness may also be affected by a sexually transmitted infection (STI). If you don’t want to get pregnant it’s good to think in advance about what contraception you will use. You might want to use more than one in case one method proves ineffective, or if your primary method doesn’t protect against STIs. That said, in emergency situations where you don’t use birth control or your contraceptive lets you down, there is a solution: emergency contraception.

 

There are many reasons why you might need to use emergency contraception; your condom bursts or rips, you forget to take your Pill or you have unprotected sex and regret it later. While emergency contraception should never be used as an alternative to normal contraception – and I can’t stress this point strongly enough – it is possible to get emergency contraception that will work to stop pregnancy after you’ve had sex. These emergency contraceptives can be broken down into two types. First, you have emergency hormonal contraceptives (sometimes known as ‘the morning-after pill’). Or, there’s the intrauterine device (IUD). It’s important to note that neither kind of emergency contraception (pill or IUD) offer protection against sexually transmitted infections.

 

Let’s take a look at both of these kinds of emergency contraception in a little more detail:

 

1. Emergency hormonal contraceptives: This kind of emergency contraception breaks down into two emergency oral pills; Levonelle and ellaOne. Sometimes known as “the morning-after pill”, both of these varieties are available from doctors, community pharmacies and sexual health centres. If you have unprotected sex, you need to take Levonelle within 72 hours (three days) or else it won’t work. The ellaOne pill, on the other hand, can be taken within 120 hours (five days) of having unprotected sex. You can get the Levonelle pill for free without a prescription from most pharmacies, your GP or local sexual health clinic. The ellaOne is also free of charge, but you will need a prescription from your GP or sexual health clinic.

 

2. Intrauterine device (IUD): The IUD is a small, plastic and copper device that can be fitted into your womb by a medical health professional. Just like the ellaOne pill, you can use an IUD up to five days after having unprotected sex. IUD’s need to be fitted by a trained doctor or nurse and this can be done at your GP’s, local GUM or Sexual Health Clinic.

 

You should never use emergency hormonal contraceptives (“morning-after pills”) as your regular method of contraception – really, the clue is in the word “emergency”. If you do need to take the morning-after pill, it should serve as a wake-up call and cause you to re-evaluate your approach to contraception. Now is a good time to think about what contraception might be best for you to use on a more regular basis. If you go the IUD route for emergency contraception, on the other hand, you can keep the IUD in as your regular method of contraception. However, if, for some reason, you do not want to do this, a healthcare professional can remove it during or after your next period.

 

While you can take an emergency hormonal contraceptive pill within three to five days of having unprotected sex – depending on which pill you use – they are more effective the sooner they are taken. If used correctly and taken within 24 hours of having unprotected sex, emergency hormonal contraceptive pills prevent around 95% of pregnancies. However, the IUD is the most effective type of emergency contraception and prevents up to 99% of pregnancies if used correctly.

Categories: Emergency contraception, emergency hormonal, health clinic, hormonal contraceptive, hormonal contraceptives, intrauterine device, Intrauterine device (IUD), Morning After Pill

Thinking of Taking the Morning After Pill Today?

If you have had a risky sexual encounter and think that you may be in danger of getting pregnant, you need to act quickly. The realisation that you may be at risk for having an unexpected pregnancy can be quite scary, and can be difficult for your emotional wellness and wellbeing. Fortunately, you can make the experience far simpler with the help of emergency contraceptives, otherwise known as the morning after pill.

 

Using emergency contraception dramatically reduces your chances of getting pregnant, particularly if you take it soon after the unprotected sex. Older versions of emergency contraception used to contain oestrogen and progestin, whereas the newer ones only contain progestin, and have far fewer side effects than the old style.

 

The most common side effect to the morning after pill is gastrointestinal problems, such as nausea and vomiting. Around 43 percent of people who took the old style morning after pill reported that they experienced nausea, whereas only 18 percent of people who took the new style progestin only pill suffered from this side effect. Vomiting is also far less common in people who took the new pill – occurring in only 4 percent of those who took the new style as opposed to 16 percent of those who took the old one.

 

If a woman experiences vomiting within an hour of taking the emergency contraception, it is normally advised that she takes some anti sickness drugs and takes the emergency contraception again, otherwise there is a chance that the medication has been removed from the body too quickly before it has had time to work, and pregnancy could occur.

 

If side effects do occur, you should take a small amount of highly digestible foods, and avoid dehydration in order to reduce the risks of vomiting. If you feel nausea, there is not much that you can do to reduce the symptom but it will thankfully disappear quite quickly.

Categories: contraception, Emergency, Emergency contraception, Morning, percent, Pill, style

Are You Clued Up About the Morning After Pill?

The morning after pill is designed to prevent pregnancy when you have a sexual mishap. This may be that you have foolishly had unprotected sex, or that you have had an accident with your birth control, but they can work up to 120 hours after the event. They work as a one off method, and although there have been concerns about the effect that they could have on your wellness and wellbeing, there is really nothing to suggest that they have any adverse effects.

 

Emergency contraception can cause irregular periods for a couple of months after you take it, making blood flow heavier or lighter, but within 30 – 60 days, your body should be back to normal again.

 

Emergency contraceptives are similar to the monthly birth control pill in a lot of ways, as they contain many of the same ingredients. Women have been taking these types of medications for years, and studies have revealed them to be safe. Although there are some side effects (which we’ll talk more about later), they do not have any long term effect.

 

You don’t have to take an emergency contraceptive straight away, but the sooner you take it, the more effective it is likely to be. These pills usually work by preventing the body from releasing an egg, so that fertilisation cannot occur even if there are sperm still hanging around inside the body. If you take emergency contraception at the time that you are ovulating, however, it will be ineffective, as it is too late to prevent ovulation and conception occurring.

 

Many women use emergency contraceptives without experiencing any side effects at all, but for some, there are unpleasant symptoms. These can include things like severe PMS, nausea and vomiting, headaches, abdominal pain, cramps and dizziness. If you experience a side effect after taking the emergency pill, you should find that it disappears within one or two days.

Categories: after, Birth Control, body, Effects, Emergency, Emergency contraception, emergency contraceptives, Morning, nbsp, nbsp emergency, Pill

Teen Sex: Protecting Your Kids against Pregnancy and STIs

As a parent, nothing wreaks havoc on your mental wellness more than the idea that your teenagers are having sex. Unfortunately, however, teen sexual health is a pressing issue, with research showing that many teenagers are sexually active by the time they reach high school. This means that your child’s wellbeing is at great risk to pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), as well as the emotional consequences of having sex. Therefore, you have to get proactive with your teen, and discuss the importance of contraception before sexual activity begins.

 

When having “The Talk” with your teenager, abstinence is still a valid subject to discuss. Whether you feel strongly against the idea of sex before marriage, or you just want to make sure your son or daughter is ready to have sex, explain how you feel to your teen. It’s easy to fall into the trap of telling your teen what to do, without letting them know your reasons for doing so. Share the reasons behind your beliefs, rather than just laying down the law, and you’ll give your teenager something to think about and, hopefully, believe themselves.

 

That is not to say you should ignore your teenager’s own values – far from it. You should ask your teenager to think about their values and hopes for the future, and how sex might affect these things. Adolescents are particularly prone to risky sexual behaviours, and the only way to absolutely prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections – such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea, human papillomavirus (HPV), herpes and HIV – is to practice abstinence from all forms of sexual activity. Plus, having sex makes break-ups all the more emotionally damaging, so remind your teen that there are many nonsexual ways he or she can show feelings for someone.

 

That said, you can’t stop your teenager from doing what he or she wants to do. However, you can make sure they practise safe sex. It’s important for everyone to understand birth control, whether your teenager has decided to wait for sex or not. One day, he or she will need to know how to prevent pregnancy and protect himself or herself from sexually transmitted infections, and the only way to ensure they gain this knowledge is to give it to them. When talking about contraception, don’t be vague but go into all the methods available. This includes:

 

1. Condoms: While other contraceptives prevent pregnancy, your teenager needs a barrier method in order to guard their wellbeing against STIs. Make sure your teen understands the importance of always using condoms during sex, as well as the correct way of using them.

 

2. Prescription birth control: There are various contraceptive methods your teenager can get on prescription to prevent pregnancy. This includes combination birth control pills, the contraceptive patch (Ortho Evra), vaginal ring (NuvaRing) and contraceptive injection (Depo-Provera). Your daughter will need to visit a doctor, who will review her medical history, conduct a pelvic exam, and go over the risks and benefits of different types of birth control. While these methods can be extremely effective in preventing pregnancies, make sure your teen knows that prescription birth control doesn’t offer protection from STIs.

 

3. Emergency birth control: While it’s important for your teen to make a decision about birth control before having sex, emergency contraception — such as the morning-after pill (Ella, Plan B One-Step or Next Choice) — can help prevent pregnancy if your teen doesn’t plan ahead or contraception fails. You need to tell your teenager that emergency contraception must be started as soon as possible after unprotected intercourse, and within 120 hours to be effective.

Categories: Birth Control, Emergency contraception, pregnancy, prescription birth, prevent pregnancy, sexual activity, sexually transmitted, STIs, teen, teenager, Teenagers, transmitted infections

Teen Sex: Protecting Your Kids against Pregnancy and STIs

As a parent, nothing wreaks havoc on your mental wellness more than the idea that your teenagers are having sex. Unfortunately, however, teen sexual health is a pressing issue, with research showing that many teenagers are sexually active by the time they reach high school. This means that your child’s wellbeing is at great risk to pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), as well as the emotional consequences of having sex. Therefore, you have to get proactive with your teen, and discuss the importance of contraception before sexual activity begins.

 

When having “The Talk” with your teenager, abstinence is still a valid subject to discuss. Whether you feel strongly against the idea of sex before marriage, or you just want to make sure your son or daughter is ready to have sex, explain how you feel to your teen. It’s easy to fall into the trap of telling your teen what to do, without letting them know your reasons for doing so. Share the reasons behind your beliefs, rather than just laying down the law, and you’ll give your teenager something to think about and, hopefully, believe themselves.

 

That is not to say you should ignore your teenager’s own values – far from it. You should ask your teenager to think about their values and hopes for the future, and how sex might affect these things. Adolescents are particularly prone to risky sexual behaviours, and the only way to absolutely prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections – such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea, human papillomavirus (HPV), herpes and HIV – is to practice abstinence from all forms of sexual activity. Plus, having sex makes break-ups all the more emotionally damaging, so remind your teen that there are many nonsexual ways he or she can show feelings for someone.

 

That said, you can’t stop your teenager from doing what he or she wants to do. However, you can make sure they practise safe sex. It’s important for everyone to understand birth control, whether your teenager has decided to wait for sex or not. One day, he or she will need to know how to prevent pregnancy and protect himself or herself from sexually transmitted infections, and the only way to ensure they gain this knowledge is to give it to them. When talking about contraception, don’t be vague but go into all the methods available. This includes:

 

1. Condoms: While other contraceptives prevent pregnancy, your teenager needs a barrier method in order to guard their wellbeing against STIs. Make sure your teen understands the importance of always using condoms during sex, as well as the correct way of using them.

 

2. Prescription birth control: There are various contraceptive methods your teenager can get on prescription to prevent pregnancy. This includes combination birth control pills, the contraceptive patch (Ortho Evra), vaginal ring (NuvaRing) and contraceptive injection (Depo-Provera). Your daughter will need to visit a doctor, who will review her medical history, conduct a pelvic exam, and go over the risks and benefits of different types of birth control. While these methods can be extremely effective in preventing pregnancies, make sure your teen knows that prescription birth control doesn’t offer protection from STIs.

 

3. Emergency birth control: While it’s important for your teen to make a decision about birth control before having sex, emergency contraception — such as the morning-after pill (Ella, Plan B One-Step or Next Choice) — can help prevent pregnancy if your teen doesn’t plan ahead or contraception fails. You need to tell your teenager that emergency contraception must be started as soon as possible after unprotected intercourse, and within 120 hours to be effective.

Categories: Birth Control, Emergency contraception, pregnancy, prescription birth, prevent pregnancy, sexual activity, sexually transmitted, STIs, teen, teenager, Teenagers, transmitted infections

US Court Lifts Age Limits on Access to Morning-After Pill

The question of access for young people to emergency over-the-counter contraceptives has become a contentious issue in the US. A federal judge in New York lifted the age limits on purchasing the contraceptives, a decision that brought the court into direct conflict with the US Catholic Conference of Bishops.

The bishops have demanded that the ruling be appealed and overturned, claiming that allowing young people to have increased access to emergency contraception contributes to increased rates of sexually-transmitted infections (STIs).

US District Court Judge Edward Korman had given the US Food & Drug Administration 30 days to make the morning-after pill available to women of all ages, ruling that any potential misuse of the drug by girls as young as 11 was so minuscule as to not be worth taking into account.

The drug that Judge Korman said must be made available is Plan B, known by its generic name of levonorgestrel. It can be taken up to 72 hours after unprotected sex to prevent an unwanted pregnancy.

Since 2006, Plan B has been available to women over the age of 18 and to women aged 17 since 2009. Judge Korman’s ruling means that women under the age of 17 now no longer need a prescription to buy the morning-after pill.

The US Catholic Conference of Bishops said Plan B would not stop the spread of any STIs and would also make adolescent girls more susceptible to sexual predators. Both the bishops and the Pro-Life Commission of the Archdiocese of New York say the judge’s ruling undermines the role of parents by removing their right to know what medications their under-age daughters are taking.

The Korman ruling followed a lawsuit by the Centre for Reproductive Rights over a decision by the Federal Government in Washington to impose an age limit on over-the-counter sales of the morning-after pill.

US Court Lifts Age Limits on Access to Morning-After Pill

Categories: age limits, Emergency contraception, US