Everything you need to know about emergency contraception.
Yikes – you had a saucy night under the covers, but you neglected to take your Pill. Maybe the condom broke? Or, worse still, you forgot to take you pill and he didn’t wear a condom.
Don’t panic. The morning after pill is an emergency contraceptive (EC) that contains levonorgestrel, a hormone which can prevent pregnancy 95 per cent of the time – and it’s legal.
Since 2002, women have been turning to this magic medication, marked in Australia as Postinor-2 Levonelle-2 or NorLevo, after unprotected sex. In 2004 the drug was made available from pharmacies without a prescription – a decision Family Planning WA medical consultant Angela Cooney firmly applauds. “Australia has the second highest rate of abortion in the developed world,” Cooney says. “The move to allow over-the-counter sales means EC can be dispensed very quickly, and therefore increases the chances of it being effective.”
How does it work?
Accidents happen, Cooney says, and now, if a condom breaks or a woman misses a Pill, “She can find an all-night chemist and go straight in, rather than having to wait a day or two for a doctor’s appointment.”
Family Planning Queensland say the EC works by delaying or preventing ovulation, preventing a fertilised egg from implanting in the uterus or interrupting the production of hormones needed for pregnancy to continue. Essentially, it helps to stop a pregnancy before it’s established, but won’t work if you are already pregnant.
“If taken within 24 hours,” says Cooney, “EC prevents 95 per cent of unexpected pregnancies. Its effectiveness drops to around 85 per cent when taken 24-48 hours after sex, and to 58 per cent when taken 48-72 hours afterwards.”
The morning-after pill is often confused with Mifepristone, also known as RU486 or the “abortion pill”, which is a drug that induces miscarriage if taken in the first three months of pregnancy. RU486 is not available in Australia, but is available in roughly 33 countries throughout Europe.
What happens to your body?
Each pill contains 0.75mg of levenorgestrel – a synthetic hormone derived from progesterone – which is often used in smaller doses in regular contraceptive pills. It must be taken in two doses; the first dose within 72 hours, and the second 12 hours later.
Common side effects include breast tenderness, prolonged menstrual bleeding or spotting, headache, dizziness, oily skin and nausea. No long-term effects of using an EC have been flagged, but the World Health Organisation warns ECs are not recommended for routine use, “Because of the higher possibility of failure compared to regular contraceptives, and the increased risk of side effects”.
Marketing coordinator Jessica, 26, ran to the pharmacy for an EC after an impromptu hook-up with en ex-boyfriend last Christmas. After taking the pill, she felt a bit nauseous but admits her queasiness could have been due to the sizeable hangover she was nursing. “I had a little spotting before my next period,” she says. “But other than that, I was completely fine.”
How to get it:
Family Planning Queensland Medical Director Caroline Harvey says, “It’s available from pharmacies, family planning clinics, sexual health clinics or your doctor, and costs up to $40.” Order it online for around $27 at homepharmacy.com.au by speaking to the pharmacist or providing a prescription.
- Share:
-
Share on Facebook
-
More