Health News resources and information

Emergency hormonal contraception is a sequence of two doses of certain oral contraceptives. The most common “morning-after” pills are “combination” pills that contain estrogen and progestin—synthetic hormones like the ones produced by a woman’s body. Progestin-only pills—mini-pills—may be used by women who cannot take estrogen.

Women who request morning-after pills should review their medical histories with their clinicians before receiving the medication.

You should not use morning-after pills if:

• you are pregnant from a previous act of intercourse

• you have missed your period or it is late

• you are allergic to the medication

How to Use Morning-After Pills

There are several kinds of pills that can be used. Your clinician will designate the brand and dose for you. The pills are taken in two doses, 12 hours apart. You must use only one type of pill and use it for all doses.

Using Progestin-Only Pills

Progestin-only pills may be more appropriate for women who cannot take estrogen. Take 20 tablets of Ovrette within 48 hours of unprotected intercourse and then take another 20 tablets 12 hours later.

Using Combination Pills

Combination pills that are currently used for emergency contraception include Ovral, Lo/Ovral, Nordette, and Levlen. If ó take your pills from a regular 28-pill pack of combination pills, ó can use any of the first 21 pills for emergency contraception.

You can also use Triphasil or Tri-Levlen. The first 21 pills these pills are in three different colors—you must use only the yellow ones.

If you are using Ovral, each dose is two pills. If you are using any other kind of combination pill, each dose is four pills. The dose repeated in 12 hours.

Don’t use the last seven pills in a 28-day pack. They are only reminder pills that contain no hormones.

First dose: Swallow the pills in the first dose as soon as possible a no later than 72 hours—three days—after having unprotected intercourse.

Nausea is a possible side effect when combination pills are used. 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 clinician may prescribe an antinausea medication or suggest ó use an over-the-counter product such as Dramamine.

The side effects of antinausea medication may include light headedness, dizziness, or feeling spacey. Please follow the precautions on the package insert.

Second dose: Swallow the second dose 12 hours after taking the first dose. If vomiting occurred after the first dose, be sure to use an antinausea medication 30 minutes before taking the second dose. Or ó may want to take the second dose as a vaginal suppository.

If you vomit the second dose, do not take any extra pills—it unlikely that they will reduce the risks of pregnancy any further. It is likely that they will increase your risk of nausea.

*29/155/5*

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 25th, 2009 at 10:57 am and is filed under Women's Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.