The pros and cons of taking the emergency pill

Emergency pill, also called morning after pill is a hormonal method of preventing pregnancy. It is used by women who are not in a long term contraceptive method. It is also used in instances where the other methods of contraception fail, such breaking of a condom, missing pill etc. As with any contraceptive method, emergency pill also has its own pros and cons . It is important that you know them before you use it.

As the name implies, emergency pill is designed to use in an emergency. If you are not on a long term contraceptive method, emergency pill is one of the methods that can minimize the chances of getting pregnant after having unprotected sexual intercourse. Therefore, it prevents unwanted pregnancies. This is the biggest advantage of the emergency pill. The pill is freely available and cost effective. Anyone over 17 years of age can buy the emergency pill without a prescription from a doctor. So you do not have to go to a doctor. High effectiveness  is another major advantage of the emergency pill. It is said that seven women who would have gotten pregnant will not get pregnant after using the emergency pill. This takes a huge burden off a woman’s life. It does not cause miscarriage. It does not cause any abnormalities in the fetus if pregnancy has already occurred. It does not affect the fertility of the women. It is a very safe method of contraception because it does not have any long term effect on the body. It is effective up to 5 days of having unprotected sex. Many women like this method due to these reasons.

The emergency pill is highly effective and a safe method of contraception. But, it also has its own set of disadvantages. It is only effective up to five days of having unprotected sex. It has to be taken as soon as possible. That is why it is called the morning after pill. Therefore, its efficacy reduces with time. It is a hormonal method of contraception. Therefore, it does not provide protection against sexually transmitted diseases. The pill has a high concentration of levonorgestrel. This hormone also has many other effects on the body other than preventing pregnancy. Nausea is one such disturbing side effect most of the women experience after taking the emergency pill. Vomiting is not as common as nausea. But, if vomiting occurs within 2 hours of ingestion of the pill, you might have to take another pill.  It can also cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. Fatigue, headache, dizziness and breast tenderness are other well known side effects. Some women may not have any of these effects.

As mentioned above, the emergency pill contains high concentration of levonorgestrel. It is a type progesterone hormone. If the pill is taking before ovulation, you may experience progesterone withdrawal bleeding within 7 days of taking the pill. If it is taken after ovulation, it can lengthen the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. This results in delaying of menstruation. Ovulation usually occurs on the mid day of the cycle if, you are having 28 day cycles. If not, you can calculate the day of ovulation by subtracting 14 days from the next expected day of menstruation. The emergency pill can have serious health effects on women with diabetes, heart disease, migraine, deep vein thrombosis, liver disease and breast cancer. Therefore, these people are advised to not take the emergency pill. According to them, its widespread availability has increased the incidence of sexual promiscuity, sexual violence and sexually transmitted diseases. Emergency pill should not be used as a long term method of contraception. If you are using the emergency pill very often, you are in need of a long term contraceptive method. You should take medical advice before taking the emergency pill if you are diagnosed to have medical illnesses such as diabetes, deep vein thrombosis, migraine, breast cancer etc.