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Emergency Contraception: What to Do When You Are in a Big, Big Bind!

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Accidents happen to the best of us. Let’s face it: we all make mistakes. When owned and recognized early, they can frequently be fixed. Contraception (or lack thereof) can fail. Pills can be forgotten, condoms can be broken, and timing can be off. Luckily, emergency contraception is available and if used appropriately can effectively prevent pregnancy in the majority of cases. Emergency contraception comes in two basic forms—oral and intrauterine (the Copper T IUD). As the oral form was the original and is available over the counter for women above the age of 17, it is the form that is much more well-known. In fact, it’s fair to say that most women are unaware that there is even another option out there!

Furthermore, the IUD (a.k.a. the “other” form) requires a visit to your OB/GYN as it must be placed in the uterus by a medical professional. But common things being common, the most commonly used oral emergency contraception is either a combination estrogen and progesterone pill or a progesterone-only pill. One regimen requires two doses administered twelve hours apart, and the other, just a one-time dose. These medications are currently available to almost all in need at the nearby CVS or Duane Reade; where the medications will be placed (over-the-counter vs. pharmacist) is dependent on age. The line in the sand has been drawn at 17; women younger than 17 require a prescription to get the goods, while women 17 and older can pick up the medication without a prescription.

When the medication is taken or placed (in the case of the Copper T IUD) is key; the success of the drug is dependent on how soon in relation to the “event” (a.k.a. unprotected sex or contraception failure) it is taken. After 120 hours (five days), emergency contraception is virtually ineffective. Simply stated, you can take it, but it won’t work. If taken within 72 hours, the chance of success is really high—here are the stats. Data from research done by the WHO (World Health Organization) show that, if taken with 24 hours, 95% of pregnancies are prevented, if taken in 25–48 hours 85% of pregnancies are prevented, and if taken within 49–72 hours 58% are prevented.

After that, we still see success but at a much lower rate. Not surprisingly, an IUD placed for emergency contraception works almost in overtime; less than 1% of women who use the IUD get pregnant. And with the IUD, the hits just keep on coming. It not only works for that act of unprotected intercourse but also serves as excellent contraception for the future. While side effects do exist, they are generally mild and fairly tolerable. The most common include nausea, vomiting, and irregular bleeding. The medications can throw off your menstrual cycle, causing irregular bleeding. Both are transient and will resolve fairly quickly. If the nausea is bad, an anti-nausea pill can be taken to help you keep things down.

Emergency contraception can be taken more than once in the same cycle and, if need be, again in future cycles. The medical data do not show that multiple doses are unsafe. However, keep in mind that emergency contraception is best used in emergency situations. Additionally, it is less effective at preventing pregnancy than almost any other form of contraception, and therefore, if you continually find yourself scouring the aisles of your local drugstore, you are overdue for a visit to your OB/GYN to discuss a reliable form of contraception. Just to make sure we are all on the same page, emergency contraception is not the same thing as an abortion. An abortion terminates or ends an existing pregnancy. Emergency contraception prevents a pregnancy from happening. If an embryo has already burrowed its way into your uterus and has begun to grow, emergency contraception won’t work.

No one really wants to take the morning-after pill or have an IUD emergently placed. But stuff happens. There are ways to prevent an unwanted pregnancy that have a really good chance of working. Go the drugstore, call your OB/GYN—take action. While you may be ready for a baby in the future, today is likely not the day. Know what’s available to you, know how to safely get what you need, and know that you are not alone. You are not the first person this has happened to, and you certainly won’t be the last!

Oops, I Missed a Pill…Did I Mess Everything Up?

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One of the most frequently Googled GYN questions is “What do I do when I miss my pill?” Pill oversights, although common, can cause a lot of panic and fear. Getting pregnant now is not an option! Staring at the pack and realizing you are up to Tuesday but it is Thursday can be horrifying. However, the reality is that, if you haven’t at some point in your pill-taking career missed a pill, you deserve a medal. Almost all of us have had an oops or an uh-oh over our one, five, ten, or fifteen years of taking the pill. You are most certainly not alone.

When you miss a pill, the first question to ask yourself is, how many did I miss? When you miss just one pill, it’s no big deal. Just take the missing pill as soon as soon as the light goes off in your head. If it is not until the next day, take the missed pill plus that day’s pill together.

If you miss two-plus pills, that is slightly more of an issue and requires some more effort. Again, once you have your “a-ha I missed my pills moment,” take both ASAP. Then resume your daily pill schedule.

However, forgetting to take a pill is like forgetting to brake when approaching a red light. The ignition will rev up, and you may roll right through an intersection. Without the daily suppressive effect of the pill, your brain may start to develop a follicle and get ready to release an egg. So to prevent pregnancy, the best thing to do is use an additional form of contraception (a.k.a. condoms) until you have taken seven days of active pills.

If the oops was in the last week of the active pills, don’t take the placebo week; restart a new pack a week early.

If the error was in the first week and you had unprotected sex, you should strongly consider emergency contraception (a.k.a. Plan B) as well as continue with your current pack for maximal protection. Call your doctor, and let him or her know what happened so that together you can design a plan that will prevent pregnancy.

When thinking about pill errors, think in terms of sevens:

  • It takes about seven days of continuous pill use to prevent ovulation.
  • Never take fewer than 21 consecutive active pills.
  • Never have more than seven pill-free days (any longer than this gives the body a chance to ovulate).

While seven may not be your lucky number, if you follow those rules you will make sure you stay lucky (and not pregnant)! One notable news flash: if you forgot to take the sugar pill (a.k.a. the placebo one), don’t sweat it. Those pills are not doing anything more than keeping you in the habit of taking a daily pill. However, if you miss any of the active pills, even if you followed the back-up schedule, take a pregnancy test. Although many women on the low dose or the low, low dose pills don’t get a period, it’s best to check and confirm a negative.

The majority of unintended pregnancies on the pill occur from missed pills. If you are one of those who seem to suffer from forgetfulness as it relates to the pill, then oral contraceptives are probably not right for you. There are several other forms of reliable hormonal and non-hormonal contraception that can do the same trick without requiring the daily light bulb to go off.

Remember, mistakes happen. Most of these momentary lapses are not a big deal. In an effort to minimize these hiccups, pair your pill pack with a daily activity that you never forget—brushing your teeth, washing your face, taking your contacts out. This will help minimize mistakes and maximize effectiveness. We want this to work for you until you are ready to work on becoming a mom!