If you are nervous you are pregnant, have not missed your period, and it is within 3 days of sexual intercourse, you are probably thinking of taking the morning after pill (also known as emergency contraception).
- Before doing so, you should take a pregnancy test and receive a negative result. If you are already pregnant, MAP will not terminate the pregnancy but could pose health risks for both you and your baby.
- It is also important to be informed about the risks of MAP before you find yourself in a situation that causes you to panic and take high doses of hormones without a full understanding of their effect on your body and your health.
- MAP is taken in 2 doses, the second 12 hours after the first. Plan B One-Step is taken in a single dose.
- The active ingredients are similar to those found in other birth control pills, but in much higher doses. The pills release progestin and estrogen that stops ovulation, fertilization, and implantation of an embryo. Plan B One-Step releases the hormone levonorgestrel.
- The Morning After Pill has a 25% failure rate. (1)
- There are no long-term studies to show whether women, especially young women, will be permanently damaged, or risk such diseases as cancer, from these chemicals being given in such high doses.
Risks/Side Effects of MAP:
As listed by the manufacturer: (2)
- Changes in your period
- Nausea
- Lower Abdominal Pain
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Breast Tenderness
Resources
-
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unintended Pregnancy Prevention: Contraception. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; August 2009.
- Duramed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Highlights of Prescribing Information: Plan B One-Step. New York: August 2009.
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