What Is Emergency Birth Control Method?
Emergency birth control is a method of avoiding conception that can be used either after failure of any other contraceptive method or after unprotected sexual intercourse.
It prevents conception through inhibition of ovulation, impregnation or implantation.
Emergency birth control can be available either as emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) or as Intrauterine device (IUD).
Although several contraceptives can be taken orally for emergency birth control, only few of them have been approved in USA and marketed extensively for emergency contraception.
Use of emergency contraceptive pills
If you are apprehensive of the possible conception after unprotected sexual intercourse, immediately take first tablet within three days after having sex and then take second tablet within the next 12 hours.
If taken on time, the contraceptive pills can effectively prevent pregnancy. An experiment of emergency birth control pills has brought in satisfactory result.
On an average if 100 women have unprotected sexual intercourse during the part of their cycles that is highly sensitive for fertilization, only 8 of them are likely to conceive.
But if all those 100 women have taken pills after having unprotected sex, only one or two out of them are likely to conceive.
Side effects of pills
Women taking pills can occasionally have nausea, fatigue and pain in abdomen.
Headache and menstrual changes may also occur occasionally as a result of taking pills.
Pills are available to women over 17 years of age even without a prescription at many drug stores.
To obtain such pills you may have to show document that can prove your age. If a girl aged 16 years or younger becomes pregnant she can be given emergency contraceptive pills only on doctor’s prescription.
Copper IUD. The copper IUD (ParaGard) is another option for emergency birth control. The device is meant for insertion into uterus through vaginal passage within five days of unprotected vaginal intercourse.
IUD has been found to be bringing 99 percent result which means that if 100 women are using IUD after having unprotected sexual intercourse, only one of them is likely to become pregnant.
Woman using IUD can get it removed after her next menstrual period. The user can even leave this device inside her uterus up to 10 years if she wants continuous birth control.
