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Emergency Contraceptive Procedures (ECPs) are methods of preventing pregnancy after unprotected sexual intercourse. Emergency contraception can be used when a condom breaks, after a sexual assault, or any time unprotected sexual intercourse occurs. Do not use emergency contraceptives as your only protection against pregnancy if you are sexually active or planning to be, because they are not nearly as effective as any ongoing contraceptive method. Emergency contraceptives available in the United States include:
Considerable research demonstrates that emergency contraception is safe and effective. They cannot, however, protect against sexually transmitted diseases. Depending on the time during the menstrual cycle that they are taken, ECPs may inhibit or delay ovulation, inhibit tubal transport of the egg or sperm, interfere with fertilization, or alter the endometrium (the lining of the uterus), thereby inhibiting implantation of a fertilized egg. The copper in copper-T IUDs can prevent sperm from fertilizing an egg and can also alter the endometrium, thereby inhibiting implantation of a fertilized egg. According to the Office of Population Research at Princeton University, which sponsors the Emergency Contraception Website (http://ec.princeton.edu/), certain brands of contraceptive pills that can be used for emergency contraception are approved by the FDA for ordinary contraception and their use for emergency contraception is perfectly legal. The FDA has explicitly declared ECPs to be safe and effective. Two FDA-approved prescription drugs, Preven and Plan B, were developed specifically for emergency contraceptive use. These so-called "morning-after pills" are essentially high-dose birth control pills that are taken within three days after sexual intercourse and are 75% effective. A Copper-T IUD (ParaGard ® T380A manufactured by Ortho-McNeil, for example) is inserted up to five days after unprotected sexual intercourse and is 99% effective in reducing the risk of pregnancy. Since ECPs are approved by the FDA, any physician or healthcare provider can prescribe them. To find out the name of a provider or clinic in your area that administers emergency contraception, visit the Office of Population Research Provider Search page, located at http://ec.princeton.edu/providers/index.html or contact the EC hotline at 1-800-584-9911. If a woman seeking emergency contraception already has birth control pills in her possession, she should call the clinic that prescribed the pills. Another resource is the Feminist Women's Health Center (http://www.fwhc.org/ecinfo.htm). Call their toll-free number at 1-800-572-4223. Pros:
Cons:
Medical risks/side effects:
Although ECPs are safe for most women, it is generally not appropriate for those who have ever had stroke or heart attack, cancer of the breast or reproductive organs, migraine headaches, blood clots, liver disease, or for women who have missed their period or are late. Effectiveness: 75%-oral contraceptives 99%-IUD insertion ResourcesThe Alan Guttmacher Institute Protecting Against Unintended Pregnancy: A Guide to Contraceptive Choices by Tamar Nordenberg - April 1997 FDA Consumer Feminist women's health center ARHP (Assoc. of Reproductive Health Professionals) Planned Parenthood Text adapted from Your Contraceptive Choices Revised version March 1998 Planned Parenthood, Federation of America, Inc Cervical Cap Office of Population Research Emergency Contraception THE PILL REVISITED Benefits beyond birth control 08.13.98 Originally published in Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource, August 1998 Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical Newsletter, Dec. 6, 2000 article pertaining to ParaGard® T380A: One of The Best Kept Secrets in Birth Control If you haven't read them yet, take a look at the previous articles in this series: Birth Control Female Birth Control Methods Male Birth Control Methods
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