Emergency contraception is designed to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex.
Emergency oral contraceptive pills, or ECP's, are birth control pills that are taken in higher doses than normally used daily to prevent pregnancy. Not all brands of birth control pills can be used in this way, but your health care provider can help you choose the right one for you. This is the same way in which birth control pills work when taken one pill per day throughout the month. The medical community does not consider ECP's to be an abortion since it can't disrupt an already existing growing fetus. For some people, birth control methods used after fertilization may not be acceptable according to their personal ethics.