| Emergency Contraception Morning after pill, Plan B, Postinor-2, EC, Levonelle-2, Yuzpe regime. What it is: Emergency contraception (EC) or 'morning after pill'as is commonly known, is a higher dose of the hormones in oral contraceptive pills. It is used to reduce the chance of pregnancy after unprotected sex. if the condom broke or if no contraception was used, after sexual assault or if you missed some of your contraceptive pills. EC is 90% effective if taken in the first 24 hours after unprotected sexual intercourse. It can be taken for up to five days after unprotected sex but with reduced effectiveness.. EC is recommended for emergencies and should not be used instead of regular contraception. If you use condoms for pregnancy prevention it is best to buy your EC BEFORE you need it. You should keep on using other contraception such as the Pill or condoms, for the rest of the cycle until you next period in case you ovulate AFTER taking the EC. Otherwise you could still be at risk of becoming pregnant. Remember that EC does not protect agains sexually transmitted diseases. If you are not sure whether you are at risk of pregnancy click here to contact a Family Planning clinic near you. The IUD (Intra Uterine Device) can also be used as an EC, up to 5 days after unprotected intercource and left inside the uterus it will continue to provide reliable protection against pregnancy. The IUD is 99.9 percent effective. How does it work: It work in two ways: 1. It can delay ovulation (the release of an egg from a woman's ovaries). 2. If ovulation has already taken place, it can stop a fertilised egg from implanting in the womb (or uterus). Is EC the same as the RU486 abortion pill? No. Medical abortion ( abortion pill or mifepristone, RU486 terminates a pregnancy. EC prevents pregnancy. Anti abortion organizations are also opposed to contraception and by reclassifying contraceptives as abortion, they hope to intimidate women from using them. Furthermore, they hope to ban all contraception. Where can I get it: Postinor 2 can be purchased at pharmacies with NO prescription, women's health centerss, family planning clinics. Cost is about $30  If you live in the US visit the following sites: http://ec.princeton.edu/ http://www.ec-help.org/ http://www.dialec.org/ http://www.pharmacyaccess.org/ http://www.raisinghervoice.org/ Please take the time to read through the sources as they contain important and more detailed information. http://www.fpahealth.org.au/sex-matters/factsheets/76.html http://www.shinesa.org.au/index.cfm?objectid=5A73F776-E081-51EF-A7747866C86103DF http://ec.princeton.edu/ http://www.rwh.org.au/rwhcpg/womenshealth.cfm?doc_id=4345 |
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