Contact Planned Parenthood at 1-800-967-PLAN or your health care provider immediately if you have had unprotected sex or if your birth control method failed. You have 120 hours (five days) to decrease your risk of pregnancy. Ask About Emergency Contraception.

What is Emergency Contraception (EC)?
Emergency Contraception Pills
How EC Pills Work
How to Use EC Pills
After You Take the Pills
Side Effects
Effectiveness
Where to Get EC
Questions and Answers

• EC can prevent pregnancy if taken within 120 hours (five days) of unprotected sex, but is more effective the sooner it is taken.
• EC is available from Planned Parenthood health centers and other health care providers.
• EC Pills reduce the risk of pregnancy by 75-89%.

You may want Emergency Contraception if:

• The condom broke or slipped off
• You had unprotected sex
• You forgot to take your birth control pills two days in a row
• Your diaphragm or cervical cap slipped out of place
• He forced you to have unprotected sex

EC does not protect you against sexually transmitted infections.

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Emergency contraception pills are two special doses of birth control pills. You may be given regular pill packs or pills packaged just for EC. Some health care providers will want to take your medical history before giving you the medication. Some may ask for your consent by signature or verbally over the phone.

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The pills either keep the ovary from releasing an egg or change the lining of the uterus (womb) so that a fertilized egg may not attach and develop into a pregnancy. EC does not cause abortion. Currently there is no reason to believe that EC pills will harm a fetus. However, it is advised that you not use EC if you are pregnant.

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The number of pills you take depends on the brand of pills you are given. Your health care provider or pharmacist will tell you how many and what type of pills to take. You must use only one type of pill and use it for both doses. The second dose is taken 12 hours after the first dose.

If you have been given pills named Plan B (specially packaged for emergency contraception), you should swallow all of the pills at one time as soon as possible within 120 hours (five days) after unprotected intercourse. EC is more effective the sooner it is taken.

It is possible to use your own birth control pills as emergency contraception. Many common oral contraceptive pills can be used as EC, although their manufacturers do not label the pills for this use. The FDA has declared the following 11 brands of birth control pills as safe and effective when used as emergency contraception:

Planned Parenthood strongly recommends that you come into the clinic if you need emergency contraception. Call 1-800-967-PLAN today.

First Dose: Swallow the first dose no later than 120 hours (five days) after having unprotected sex. You might feel nauseous. You may want to eat a snack of saltines or soda crackers or drink a glass of milk 30 minutes before taking each dose to avoid vomiting. Your health care provider may prescribe an anti-nausea medication or suggest you use an over-the-counter product such as Dramamine® or Emetrol®. You can also ask the pharmacist for an anti-nausea medication. Anti-nausea products may cause mild side effects such as lightheadedness, dizziness or feeling spacey. Please follow the directions on the package insert.

Second Dose: Swallow the second dose 12 hours (five days) after taking the first dose. If vomiting occurred after the first dose, be sure to use an anti-nausea medication 30 minutes before taking the second dose. Or you may want to take the second dose by putting the pills as high into the vagina as you can reach with your fingers. (The medication will be absorbed through the vaginal tissues). If you do vomit the second dose, do not take any extra pills. Extra pills won't help prevent pregnancy but may make you nauseous.

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• Your next period may be earlier or later than usual.
• Your flow may be heavier, lighter or more spotty than usual.
• If you visit other health care providers before you get your period, remember to tell them that you have taken EC.
• Schedule a follow-up visit with your health care provider and get a pregnancy test if you do not have your period in three weeks.
• Be sure to use another method of birth control, such as condoms, if you have sex anytime before you get your period again.

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• EC side effects usually lessen one or two days after the second dose has been taken.
• Half of all women who use EC feel nauseous.
• Up to 1 out of 3 women vomit.
• Breast tenderness, irregular bleeding, fluid retention, and headaches may also occur.
• Frequent use of EC may cause irregular or unpredictable periods.

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• Emergency contraception pills reduce the risk of pregnancy by 75-89%. It is more effective the sooner you take it.
• EC is meant for emergencies only. It is not as effective as using other birth control methods all the time such as the Birth Control Pill, Depo-Provera®, or the IUD.
• Other methods of birth control must be used even after you have taken EC. EC only works for the sexual act that happened in the past 120 hours.

EC does not protect you against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). You should get an STI test if you might have gotten an STI when you had unprotected sex.

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• If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area and need EC, call 1-800-967-PLAN to schedule a visit. An appointment will be made for you on the same or next clinic day. If you are unable to come into the clinic, a clinician will call in a prescription to a pharmacy near you, and you will be charged a $25 handling fee. Please have a VISA or MasterCard number available when requesting this service. If you call after 8:00 PM, your call will be returned the next day before 12:00 noon.
• From outside the Bay Area, call 1-800-230-7526 to be directly connected to the Planned Parenthood nearest you.
• You can also call the emergency contraception hotline at 1-888-NOT-2-LATE to find the name and phone number of five emergency contraception providers nearest you.
• "EC-to-Go:" Planned Parenthood offers women emergency contraception kits to keep at home in case of future contraceptive failure or unprotected sex. "EC-to-Go" allows women to act immediately so they do not have to wait to visit the clinic. These kits are called Plan B. Ask about "EC-to-Go:" the next time you visit a Planned Parenthood health center.
• The FDA recently approved over-the-counter (OTC) sale of Plan B to women and men 18 and older.

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Can I use EC as birth control?
No. It should only be used in an emergency. It is not as effective as a regular birth control method.

Does EC cause an abortion?
EC does not cause abortion. It works to prevent ovulation or to prevent the egg from attaching to the uterus. It's not the same as RU-486 (the "abortion pill").

If I take EC and I'm pregnant, will it hurt the fetus?
Studies have shown that taking EC pills won't hurt the fetus. Having an IUD inserted could cause miscarriage, so your clinician should have you take a pregnancy test before putting in an IUD for EC.

Does EC protect me against sexually transmitted infections (STI's)?
No. To reduce the risk of STIs and HIV, you need to use a condom and spermicides every time you have sex.

How much does it cost?
Fees may be covered by health insurance or government funding. To find out how much EC will cost you at Planned Parenthood Golden Gate, use our Cost Calculator.

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More information on Emergency Contraception.