It’s been 30 years for the reason that morning after tablet first turned accessible within the UK. With three many years of emergency contraception below our belts, you’d assume we’d be fairly clued up on it by now, however that’s not the case in accordance with a survey performed by the Family Planning Association!1
This investigation revealed that whereas over a 3rd of respondents had unprotected intercourse when not planning a pregnancy, 83% of those girls didn’t use any emergency contraception afterwards.
What’s extra, 74% of girls mentioned that they knew little to nothing about emergency contraception, with an extra 43% of girls reporting that they didn’t know methods to pay money for emergency contraception. Read our abstract to seek out out all the pieces that you must know.
Overcome the stigma
Historically, emergency contraception has include a stigma connected. Many assume it signifies that you’ve been in some way irresponsible, whereas in actuality condoms can slip off or break up, and it’s straightforward to overlook to take your oral contraceptive, particularly should you’ve had a change of routine currently.
There is not any house for disgrace and embarrassment on this state of affairs, preserving a stage head is necessary to assume rationally and to take motion rapidly. Take a take a look at our easy information and also you’ll be within the know if ever you or a good friend must take emergency contraception.
So what precisely is the morning after tablet?
An excellent query! Although this can be a very broadly used time period, there’s some confusion surrounding precisely what it means. It’s typically wrongly assumed that this tablet is just efficient for as much as 24 hours, however that’s not the case. In actuality there are a selection of choices which are efficient for so long as 5 days.
At LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor, we use the phrase ‘morning after pill’ as a result of we all know that’s what most girls will seek for on our web site, nevertheless it’s necessary to know that it’s positively not only for the ‘morning after’, and that there are different choices accessible. Let us break them down for you.
The simplest choice
The simplest type of emergency contraception isn’t truly a tablet in any respect. The intrauterine machine (IUD) or ‘coil’ is a small, T-shaped machine fitted into a lady’s uterus, and it’s 99.9% efficient for as much as 5 days after unprotected intercourse.2 The solely draw back is that it must be fitted by a GP or your native sexual health clinic, so it’s extra time-consuming than selecting up a tablet from a pharmacy or clinic.
The benefit of the IUD is that it may be left in place to supply common long-term safety for between 5 to 10 years—until you resolve to have it eliminated earlier, in fact. At this level your fertility will return to regular in a short time.
Are there any side-effects?
Although a small variety of girls discover that the IUD causes ache and vaginal bleeding, most girls expertise no discomfort in any respect. Periods could also be barely heavier for the primary few months, however this tends to enhance over time.
Is the IUD secure?
The IUD could be very secure. It gained’t work together with some other medicine chances are you’ll be taking, making it appropriate for most girls. Certain sufferers might not be capable of have an IUD fitted, equivalent to those that have an untreated sexually transmitted an infection (STI), issues with their womb or cervix, or expertise any unexplained bleeding between intervals or after intercourse.
Where can I get the IUD?
The IUD must be fitted by a skilled healthcare skilled, which suggests that you may solely get a IUD out of your GP or native sexual health clinic.
Morning After Pills
There are a lot of oral emergency contraceptives accessible. This is Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC), and it may be used at any time of the day or night time. It’s simplest when used as quickly as attainable after unprotected intercourse, however it may be efficient for as much as 5 days after intercourse, relying on the actual kind of EHC used.
There are two tablet types of EHC accessible—Levonelle and EllaOne. Levonelle releases an artificial model of the pure hormone progesterone, and EllaOne comprises ulipristal acetate, which stops progesterone working usually. Both work to cease or delay ovulation (the discharge of an egg from the ovaries).3
Levonelle is simplest if taken inside 12 hours, 95% efficient inside 24 hours, however solely 58% efficient 72hrs (three days) after unprotected intercourse. EllaOne, alternatively, is as much as 95% efficient for 5 days. Try to not go away it too late although. If you expertise any early vomiting that stops you from absorbing the remedy out of your abdomen, you’ll want time to take one other dose.
While the effectiveness of EHC is excessive, it’s nonetheless not as efficient as utilizing common types of contraception, so it ought to by no means be used as an alternative choice to routine contraception. You must also keep in mind that there are some medicines, together with natural capsules, which can work together with and make EHC much less efficient.
If you do resolve to make use of this type of emergency contraception, you don’t want to fret about deciding which one to ask for. After a fast and straightforward session with the LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor service, our clinicians will recommend probably the most appropriate remedy for you.
Visit our Emergency Contraception Clinic
Are there any side-effects?
Most girls don’t expertise any side-effects once they take EHC. However, it’s attainable that you just’ll expertise any of the next: irregular menstrual bleeding, complications, nausea, dizziness, vomiting and, relying on the actual remedy, belly ache, tiredness or breast tenderness
Is EHC secure to take?
Whenever you have got a session with a pharmacist or physician, together with the LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor, you’ll be requested on your medical historical past. This is to make completely sure that it will be secure and efficient so that you can take the remedy. So relaxation assured—you’re in superb palms!
There’s no want to fret about fertility, both. Taking EHC may have no long-term results in your fertility, which means it gained’t have an effect on your capacity to start a household sooner or later.
Where can I discover EHC?
Emergency Hormonal Contraception is broadly and simply accessible by your GP, sexual health clinic and native pharmacies. What’s extra, should you e-book a confidential on-line session with LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor, they can prepare so that you can acquire EHC from a LloydsPharmacy on the exact same day. Visit the LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor Emergency Contraception Clinic to seek out out extra.
Watch out for STIs!
It’s price noting that in addition to the danger of an unplanned pregnancy, unprotected intercourse additionally exposes you to STIs. Neither the morning after tablet (EHC) or an IUD will present any safety in any way in opposition to STIs. If you’re in any respect uncertain in regards to the sexual historical past of your accomplice, it is best to get your self examined.
It’s simpler than ever to get screened for an STI. You can pop into your native sexual health clinic or head to your GP. You may order a house testing equipment by Lloyds Pharmacy Online Doctor’s Sexual Health Clinic. Just keep in mind that you could be want to attend a couple of extra days earlier than a take a look at can decide up the indicators of an an infection.
Visit our Sexual Health Clinic
Looking for a no-nonsense abstract?
We’ve teamed up with widespread YouTube vlogger Hannah Witton to inform you all the pieces that you must learn about emergency contraception. Check out our video: The morning after pill video by Hannah Witton
References
- FPA – https://www.fpa.org.uk/sites/default/files/sexual-health-week-2014-emergency-contraception-survey-results.pdf
- NHS – https://www.nhs.uk/news/medication/emergency-contraception-coil-999-effective
- NHS – https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/contraception/emergency-contraception/
