Morning After Pill

Before taking the Morning After Pill, you should understand what it is, what are the risks and side effects, and what you can expect. Call us or come by today and one of our staff will be happy to discuss it with you, confirm if you’re pregnant and advise you of your options.

WHAT IS IT & HOW DOES IT WORK?

The morning after pill is a type of emergency birth control that contains the hormone levonorgestrel, a progestin, (Plan B One-Step, Next Choice) or ulipristal acetate, a progesterone agonist-antagonist, (Ella).

The morning after pill can be used after you’ve had unprotected sex. Depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle, the morning after pill can prevent or delay ovulation, block fertilization, or keep a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. Don’t take the morning after pill if you’re already pregnant. It is NOT the same as RU-486.

THINGS TO CONSIDER:

• Emergency contraception is NOT effective and should NOT be taken if a woman is already pregnant.
• The morning after pill does not offer protection from sexually transmitted infections.
• Side effects of the morning after pill may include nausea or vomiting, dizziness, fatigue, headaches, breast tenderness, bleeding between periods or heavier menstrual bleeding, lower abdominal pain or cramps, and diarrhea. Side effects typically last only a few days.
• The morning after pill is not recommended for routine use as a contraceptive.

SOURCES:FDA center for Drug Evaluation and Research

RU-486

Before taking RU-486, you should understand what it is, what are the risks and side effects, and what you can expect. Call us or come by today and one of our staff will be happy to discuss it with you, confirm if you’re pregnant and advise you of your options.

WHAT IS IT & HOW DOES IT WORK?

RU-486, also known as “the abortion pill,” is actually a combination of two drugs ~ mifepristone and misoprostol ~ that cause early medical/chemical abortion by blocking receptors of progesterone, a hormone needed to maintain pregnancy. It should not be used if it has been more than 7 weeks since your last period. It is NOT the same as the morning after pill.

During the first visit the pregnancy is confirmed, an ultrasound is performed, and the mifepristone is given, preventing the embryo from staying implanted and growing. After two days, a second medication is given, misoprostol, causing the uterus to contract and expel the embryo. At the third visit, the termination of the pregnancy will be confirmed by an ultrasound.

THINGS TO CONSIDER:

• Side effects include bleeding, clotting, cramping, nausea, vomiting, headache and dizziness.

SOURCES: FDA center for Drug Evaluation and Research