What Emergency Contraception is Emergency Contraception pills are two specific doses of commonly prescribed birth control pills containing progestin and estrogen. This regimen can help to prevent pregnancy when taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex or the failure of a birth control method.
Emergency contraception works by interfering with ovulation, fertilization or implantation.
Used correctly, emergency contraception may result in only about two of 100 women becoming pregnant following an act of unprotected sex. The most commonly reported side effects are nausea and or vomiting that may last a few hours or up to a few days. Side effects are like those related to birth control pills which is why an assessment by a medical provider is essential. Experts at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists estimate that emergency contraception could prevent 800,000 abortions and 1.7 million unintended pregnancies in the United States each year. Emergency contraception will not cause an abortion or a period, although you may have some spotting.