EC 101: Emergency Contraceptive Pills
Many young women may not know that they can do something after unprotected sex to keep from getting pregnant. But there is something they can do: they can take emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs), also called emergency contraception, the morning after pill, or Plan B®.
Young women can use emergency contraceptive pills to keep from getting pregnant
- if a condom breaks, or they experience any contraceptive failure
- if they don’t use condoms or take regular birth control pills
- if they are raped.
How does emergency contraception work?
Emergency contraceptive pills are a stronger dose of the same hormones used in regular birth control pills. They work by delaying ovulation (or the release of an egg from an ovary). They may also prevent the egg from being fertilized. It’s possible, although unproven, that ECPs may inhibit implantation (that is, prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the wall of the uterus).
Plan B® is the only product specifically approved and marketed in the United States as an emergency contraceptive pill, but pharmacies may carry regular birth control pills repackaged as emergency contraception. A woman may also be able to use pills from her own birth control pill pack as EC. (Click here for more information about using regular birth control pills as emergency contraception).
Using emergency contraception is not the same as having an abortion, and emergency contraceptive pills do not cause abortion. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, and almost all mainstream professional medical groups define pregnancy as beginning when an egg has finished implanting. Emergency contraceptive pills will not harm an egg that has finished implanting; therefore, they can’t cause an abortion.
If a woman takes ECPs when she is already pregnant, they won’t work. They will not end the pregnancy or cause birth defects.
Emergency contraceptive pills are not the same as RU486 (the “abortion pill”) – the two are entirely different drugs.
Emergency contraception does not protect from sexually transmitted infections(STIs) including HIV. Individuals and their partners must use condoms at every act of vaginal, oral, or anal sex to be protected from STIs.
Effectiveness and Safety
Emergency contraception is most effective when taken within three days (72 hours) of unprotected sex; it may still work up to five days (120 hours) after sex. If taken in a timely manner, emergency contraception is up to 89% effective at preventing pregnancy.
Emergency contraception is entirely safe. The Society for Adolescent Medicine, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, American Medical Association, American Medical Women’s Association, and World Health Organization, all say emergency birth control pills are effective and safe for young women, even those under 18.
Young Women Need Access to Emergency Contraception, But Face Barriers to Getting It
Nearly 40% of all pregnancies in the United States, are unplanned. Among teenagers, 34% will become pregnant, and up to 85% of these pregnancies will be unintended. Experts believe that using emergency contraception in time could prevent up to half of all unwanted pregnancies. It is even believed that using emergency contraception could prevent up to 70% of all abortions among American women.
Emergency contraception is especially important for survivors of rape. Most women in the United States who are raped, are between the ages of 15 and 24 at the time of the assault. An estimated 25,000 pregnancies occur each year as a result of rape, 22,000 of which could be prevented with the timely use of emergency contraception.
Yet despite EC’s safety and effectiveness, and despite the need for EC, young women may have difficulty obtaining the medication in time or obtaining it at all.
- Although the FDA ruled in July 2006 that women 18 years and older are able to receive EC without a prescription, minors are still required to obtain a prescription from a health care provider before being able to obtain emergency contraception. Since EC is most effective at reducing pregnancy the sooner it is taken after unprotected sex, any delay in obtaining it means the young woman is at a higher risk of becoming pregnant.
- Doctors and pharmacies may refuse to write or fill a prescription for ECPs, or women may not have a family planning clinic in their area.
- Many states do not require that hospitals offer EC to survivors of rape. In fact, a study of the nation’s nearly 600 Catholic hospitals revealed that a staggering 72% of emergency rooms refused to provide EC to patients- even if they were survivors of sexual assault.
- Young women may fear their confidentiality will be violated, or that they will face judgment or refusal from a doctor or pharmacist.
- Cost may be a barrier for many young women – Plan B® costs about $35-45.
To reduce unplanned and unwanted pregnancy, America’s young women need confidential and affordable access to doctor visits and birth control medicines, including emergency contraception. Pregnancy and childbirth are serious health issues for any young woman. Making emergency birth control pills easier to access for America’s young women can help to prevent pregnancies and abortions. No young woman should have to choose between childbirth and abortion when medicines exist to prevent unplanned and unwanted pregnancy.
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