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Medical Health Encyclopedia
Emergency contraception
From Healthscout's partner site on erectile dysfunction, HealthCentral.com
Emergency contraception is a method to prevent pregnancy in women who have had unprotected sex, or for whom a barrier method has failed (slipped condom, diaphragm, or cervical cap, or broken condom). Alternative Names
Morning-after pill; Postcoital contraception; Birth control - emergency; Plan B Information Emergency contraception may be used following many different situations, including:
Emergency contraception medicine is not the same as the "abortion pill." A woman who knows she is pregnant takes the abortion pill with the intent to end an early pregnancy (usually 4 to 7 weeks after conception). Emergency contraception pills are taken after unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy from occurring. ![]() TYPE OF EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION Several types of emergency contraception drugs are available. Two emergency contraceptive pills have been approved:
Birth control pills, if available, can be used for emergency contraception. You must take two to five "regular" pills together to equal one dose of emergency contraception. It is best to talk to your health care provider about the correct dosage before doing this. An alternative emergency contraception relies on insertion of a copper-releasing intrauterine device (IUD) within 5 days (120 hours) after unprotected intercourse. It can be removed after your next period, or left in place to provide ongoing contraception. The copper IUD reduces the risk of pregnancy by 99.9%. MORE ABOUT EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTIVE PILLS Both types Plan B One-Step and Next Choice are available over-the-counter (without a prescription) to women 17 years and older. Women younger than 17 can contact their health care provider to get a prescription for these pills. These pills are still considered safe to use for this younger age group. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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