Emergency pills contain high doses of progesterone hormone. They work by delaying ovulation, if this has not occurred yet in the menstrual cycle. If an egg has been fertilised, the pills can prevent it from implanting in the lining of the uterus. Emergency pills used to be called Morning after pills, but they can be taken much later than the next morning. The first of two doses must be taken within 120 hours (5days) of unprotected sex. The second dose is taken 12 hours later. However, the sooner you take them the more effective they are - 98.4 to 99.9% effective within 24 hours; 97 to 99.7% effective within 25 to 48 hours; 93.9 to 99.1% effective within 49 to 72 hours and 87.5% effective after 72 hours.
NOTE: If the emergency pill is not available, 2 doses of 25 minipills (50 pills all together) may be given instead.
Side effects. You may have some vaginal bleeding for a few days afterwards, otherwise nothing really noticeable. Most women have a normal period at the expected time (if not fully breastfeeding and naturally missing periods).
Breastfeeding. May be used. Some progesterone can pass to the baby through breast milk. At this stage it is thought that this does not affect the baby. Some women choose to express and discard their breast milk for 24 hours and give their baby stored breast milk or formula instead.
Advantages of emergency pills are:
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They can be used with unplanned unprotected sex, or with mishaps such as a broken condom or taking out a diaphragm too early. |
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They can be used more than once in the same menstrual cycle if necessary. Although this should be avoided, if possible. |
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They are now available over-the-counter at pharmacies in Australia. |