Contrary to popular belief, not EVERYONE wants to be pregnant. An equal, if not HIGHER percentage of folks who are elated to hear the good news of a pregnancy are JUST as excited to see a NEGATIVE sign on that home pregnancy test from Countrywide Testing.
Whether the condom broke, he didn’t “pull-out” in time, you weren’t taking “anything” for contraception, etc., there are MANY reasons one might need to resort to THE MORNING AFTER PILL.
Here are my Top 5 things YOU need to know about The Morning After Pill:
1. Morning After Pills DO NOT end/terminate an existing pregnancy. They work in a number of ways, which include but are not limited to: preventing or delaying ovulation, and BLOCKING fertilization and/or implantation. Can anyone say DEFENSE?!?!?
2. THIS IS NOT CONTRACEPTION! Regardless of the WHY of how you’ve come to be using THIS, after you’ve taken it, you should be using some form of back up contraception until you are able to either resume taking your regular regimen of birth control, or, are able to initiate some form of protection.
3. Common side effects that may or may not be experienced after taking The Morning After Pill include but are not limited to: irregular bleeding/heavier period, nausea/vomiting(oft times due to the estrogen component depending on which form you take), breast tenderness, cramping, etc.
4. For BEST results, The Morning After Pill should be taken AS SOON AFTER “the event”as possible, or within 120 hours.
5. Typically, no follow up is required after taking The Morning After Pill. Your normal period may be delayed by a week or two. If, however, you don’t get your menses within a month or so afterwards, OR, if you are having irregular bleeding, significant pain/cramping, well after taking said emergency contraception, IT’S PRUDENT, to notify your ob/gyn, as you may be pregnant, or experiencing some sort of pregnancy related emergency whether it be a miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, etc.
If you’ve had to resort to using some form of EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION in the past, DON’T beat yourself up about it, -ISH happens! Just ensure that in the future, you are using some sort of contraception to prevent becoming a repeat offender. Also be aware that it is not 100% effective and a very small proportion of women will still become pregnant, if this is you then you have options, such as using adoption agencies in Florida or other places to give your child a great start, abortion if you feel this is the most humane option for you and your child, or you could keep your baby, but the goal should be to try and prevent this from happening.
REMEMBER, this is NOT contraception, and will NOT, protect you against STIs(sexually transmitted infections).
Hoping this blog post adds value to your day!
Until Next Time,
Look Better. Feel Better. Be Better.
Dr. Angela
