How Well Emergency Contraception Works ECPs reduce the risk of pregnancy by 75 percent. For example, eight out of 100 women will become pregnant after having unprotected intercourse once during the second or third week of their cycles. But only two out of 100 will become pregnant after taking ECPs. Emergency IUD insertion reduces the risk of pregnancy by 99.9 percent. Only one out of 1,000 women will become pregnant after emergency IUD insertion.
Emergency contraception is meant for emergencies only.
It is not as effective as the regular use of reversible contraception Norplant , Depo-Provera , the IUD, or the Pill. ECPs do not, after use, continue to prevent pregnancy during the rest of the cycle. Other methods of birth control must be used. Emergency contraception offers no protection against sexually transmitted infections. Consider testing for sexually transmitted infections if there is a possibility that your experience of unprotected intercourse put you at risk.