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Morning After Pill

The morning after pill is not for routine use. Failure rates and side effects increase with repeated use of the morning after pill.², ³


What it is ... The morning after pill, also known as “Emergency Contraception,” contains the same hormone as regular birth control pills, but the dosage prescribed is several times the strength of a daily birth control pill.¹

The Procedure ... This procedure consists of a pregnancy test and two doses of pills. The woman first must take a pregnancy test and receive a negative test result before taking the pills. If a negative test result occurs from the pregnancy test, then the woman is instructed to take the first dose of the MAP.

Note: a negative result indicates that the woman is probably not pregnant from intercourse during her previous monthly cycle, but it will not show whether or not she just became pregnant (from intercourse the “night before”). She is instructed to take this first dose as soon as possible, but not more than 72 hours after intercourse. The woman takes a second dose 12 hours after the first dose. If conception already occurred within the 72 hour time frame (that is the “night before”), the life is expelled. This is an early abortion.

What it does ... Plan B® works like a birth control pill.
There are three ways a birth control pill can work:
  1. Stop the release of an egg from the ovary.
  2. Prevent the fertilization of an egg (the uniting of sperm with the egg).
  3. Prevent the already fertilized egg (embryo) from attaching to the uterus. This causes an already fertilized egg to be expelled from the womb, causing an early abortion.
Important Warnings

According to the manufacturers of Plan B, women who have an existing pregnancy from a previous sexual encounter should not take the MAP, therefore, before taking the pills you must take a pregnancy test to ensure a negative result.4

In addition, the morning after pill has possible side effects:
Vomiting
Dizziness
Approximately 1 out of 5 women studied experience abdominal pain, fatigue, and headache.

Note:Plan B® is a relatively new drug, and as a result there has not been much testing on its effect on the body.5

Effectiveness The morning after pill is not 100% effective:
The progestin-only morning after pill (known in the United States as Plan B®) can be up to 89% effective.6

If you would like more online information about the morning after pill click here, or
please contact us us and we will be happy to answer additional questions.


1http://www.fhi.org/en/RH/FAQs/ECP_faq.htm
2http://www.go2planb.com/ForConsumers/Index.aspx
3http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs244/en/
4http://www.go2planb.com
5http://www.go2planb.com/section/prescribing_info/index.html
6http://www.go2planb.com/ForConsumers/TakingPlanB/Default.aspx
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