Just thought I'd start a thread on this topic as some ppl aren't too familiar with this form of contracetion. For those who have used it, feel free to add in.


Emergency Contraception

.. can prevent pregnancy after unprotected vaginal intercourse. It is also called post-coital or "morning-after" contraception.

... is available from health care providers, Planned Parenthood health centers, and other women's health and family planning centers.

... is provided in two ways

* emergency contraception pills (ECPs)

* insertion of an IUD

... is used only if a woman is not already pregnant from a previous act of intercourse. EC prevents pregnancy by stopping ovulation, fertilization, or implantation. It will not cause an abortion.

ECPs

ECPs contain hormones. Some ECPs are "combination pills" with estrogen and progestin - synthetic hormones like the ones a woman's body makes. Others are progestin-only.

Some clinicians review your medical history before they prescribe ECPs. Some may want you to give informed consent by signature or over the telephone.

How to Use ECPs

Combined hormone ECPs are taken in two doses, 12 hours apart. Progestin-only ECPs can be taken in one dose or in two doses, 12 hours apart. ECPs can reduce the risk of pregnancy if started within 120 hours after unprotected vaginal intercourse. The sooner they are started, the better. ECPs reduce the risk of pregnancy by 75-89 percent when the first dose is taken within 72 hours. ECPs will not affect an existing pregnancy.

Plan B is a brand of progestin-only pills designed specifically for emergency contraception. Certain other birth control pills can be used for EC. Several brands have been shown to be effective. The number of pills in a dose depends on the brand. Use the same brand for both doses.

With a regular 28-pill birth control pack, use any of the first 21 pills for emergency contraception. Don't use the last seven pills in a 28-day pack. They are only reminder pills that contain no hormones. With Enpresse, use only the orange ones. With Triphasil or Tri-Levlen, use only the yellow ones. With Trivora, use only the pink ones.

Swallow the pills in the first dose within 120 hours - about five days - after having unprotected sex. If you are using combined hormone pills, you may want to take a medication to reduce nausea, such as Dramamine or Bonine.

If you are taking the pills in two doses, swallow the second dose 12 hours after taking the first dose. If you threw up after the first dose, be sure to use an anti-nausea medication one hour before taking the second one. Or you may want to take the second dose as a vaginal suppository by inserting the pills with your fingers as high into the vagina as you can reach. (The medication will be absorbed through the vaginal tissue.)

If you vomit the second dose, do not take any extra pills. They probably won't reduce the risk of pregnancy. But they will probably make you sick to your stomach.

After You Take the Pills

* Your next period may be earlier or later than usual.

* Your flow may be heavier, lighter, more spotty, or the same as usual.

* If you see other health care providers before you get your period, remember to tell them that you have taken emergency contraception pills.

* Schedule a follow-up visit with your clinician if you do not have your period in three weeks or if you have symptoms of pregnancy.

* Be sure to use another method of contraception if you have vaginal intercourse any time before you get your period again.

* Continue using the birth control method of your choice for as long as you want to avoid pregnancy.

Side Effects

Side effects associated with the use of ECPs usually taper off within a day or two.

* Half of the women who take the combined pills feel sick to their stomachs, but only for about 24 hours.

* Fewer than one out of five women throw up with combined pills.

* The risk of nausea and vomiting is lower with progestin-only ECPs.

* Breast tenderness, irregular bleeding, dizziness, and headaches may also occur.

Frequent use of ECPs may cause periods to become irregular and unpredictable. The side effects of anti-nausea medication may include drowsiness. Please follow the precautions on the package insert.

Emergency contraception may not prevent ectopic pregnancy. An ectopic pregnancy is one that develops outside the uterus. It must be treated to prevent complications that may be fatal.

If you think you may have an ectopic pregnancy, get medical attention immediately. Signs of ectopic pregnancy include

* severe pain on one or both sides of the lower abdomen

* abdominal pain and spotting, especially after a very light or missed menstrual period

* feeling faint or dizzy

ECPs will not harm a fetus. Still, you should not use emergency contraception if you are pregnant.

How Well Emergency Contraception Works

* Combined ECPs reduce the risk of pregnancy by 75 percent if started within 72 hours. For example, eight out of 100 women will become pregnant after having unprotected sex once during the second or third week of their cycles. But only two out of 100 will become pregnant after taking ECPs.

* Progestin-only ECPs reduce the risk of pregnancy by 89 percent if started within 72 hours. Only one woman out of 100 will become pregnant after taking progestin-only ECPs.

* Emergency IUD insertion reduces the risk of pregnancy by 99.9 percent. Only one out of 1,000 women will become pregnant after emergency IUD insertion.

Timing Is Important

Timing affects how well ECPs work:

* ECPs work best taken as soon as possible after unprotected intercourse.

* The closer a woman is to ovulation at the time of unprotected intercourse, the greater her chances of pregnancy.

Emergency contraception is meant for emergencies only. ECPs are not as effective as the correct and consistent use of reversible contraception - the IUD, the Shot, the Pill, the Patch, or the Ring.

ECPs do not continue to prevent pregnancy during the rest of the cycle. Other methods of birth control must be used.

Emergency contraception offers no protection against sexually transmitted infections. You may want to consider testing for sexually transmitted infections if there is a possibility that unprotected sex put you at risk.

You May Want Emergency Contraception If

* His condom broke or slipped off, and he ejaculated inside your vagina.

* You forgot to take your birth control pills.

* Your diaphragm, cap, or shield slipped out of place, and he ejaculated inside your vagina.

* You miscalculated your "safe" days.

* He didn't pull out in time.

* You weren't using any birth control.

* He forced you to have unprotected vaginal sex.

Contact your health care provider immediately if you have had unprotected intercourse and you think you might become pregnant. Ask about emergency contraception.

I recalled an occasion about a year ago when my elder brother asked me urgently to get him some morning-after-pills in KL. Surprising after visiting more than 5 pharmacy outets in bukit bintang area including Sg.Wang Plaza/BB Plaza, these drugs were not available. The reason they told me this was not available in KL is becos there is no demand!! Maybe in canada, they are available easily. Go check out yourself!

get it from doctor lor...

well, it's a matter of economics. To see a doctor, there is a need to pay him for his consulation. Buying over the counter, saves $.

well.. when u are willing to haf "fun" u must be willing to carry the responsibility.. when sh!t happens, and you're in desperation... i dun think the price would be a problem.. besides, it wont cost u more than an abortion.

Since there is some difficulty of getting the pills from the pharmacy due to "demand and supply", most probably the doctors here do not stock them too.

u shouldnt just assume that without checking it out first... when u are desperate u will search high and low for it....

anyway, best is to play safe .. use condoms and/or birth control pills... morning after pills are just for emergency use.

i know a few shop in sunway and subang that sells morning after pills, how do i know? friends told me..

if you think you accidently shoot or you did something not right, better get them.. if not later regret.. heres some FAQ

FAQ

may i know what's the usage of morning after pills besides avoiding pregnancy?

Guardian always has stock. Its known as Postinor2. Contains 2 pills. Retail at about RM3.90

Take one pill immediately and another 12 hours after the first pill.

yeah, it can b a hormone boost! no 1 use it for this reason yet.

or

as a period timer, if ur gf wants her period earlier, take it and b ready for bleeding in 4-7 days time.

shadow princess... good thread very informative

is there pill for male?

no pill for men, but there is safety helmet for ur didi.

I would also like to add that pulling out before ejaculation isn't an effective form of contraception. If you really love her, then the least you could do is put on a condom.

good one! lolz

yeah, it will bleeds for longer period of time
and at some times will have 2 periods in a month time.

play safe.

not really.. doctors do sell several types of pills in the clinic.. and u dun have to pay for the consultation.. just go to the counter and point out which one u want to get.. (usually, they will paste the box on the window screen.. cos ppl are to shy to talk and ask).. they will give u and u pay for it.. then ciao loh~~ most of the clinics in my area do sell these pills..

i get it at guardian pharmacy. the pharmacist provide consultation too

Emergency contraceptives are only for emergencies. Don't be an idiot and take them as if there is no tomorrow. It's bad for the system, not to mention inappropriate for BC. If you want to get BC, go for either condoms or birth control pills.

note:

only girls can get it from pharmacies.
their bf or husband are not allowed to get it unless they bring their gf in tow.

i tried it in aussie.and i was rejected lol. lucklily my gf was there to help me out.

Morning after pills or Emergency pills should not be taken for more than 4 tablets a week as taking more than will make the pills unreliable and will disturbed the woman reproductive system ie hormones. Therefore. its better to consume family planning pills which is 99% reliable in preventing pregnancy compared to emergency pills. So choose wisely!!

how ab IUD?..is it safe to use?

IUD (intra-uretine device) is safe to use because it involve no-hormone whatsoever and also can prevent pregnancy up to 100%! Unfortunately you'll get UTI (urinary tract-infection) such as whitish, sometimes smelly discharge more often than normal ladies without. Therefore, ladies using IUD MUST take extra-care with toilette hygiene. IUD can only be inserted for 5 years only and after that need to put in a new ones eventhough the T-shape IUD is made from plastic (conventional ones are made from copper) every 5 years.

hi, i want to know more about IUD,

so which is better, plastic or copper?

are there any other side effects or risk other than the possibility of urinary tract-infection? (eg: more painful periods)?

and why is it that IUD can only be inserted during period?

thanks!

yes can get at guardian pharmacy nowadays

few weeks ago a girlfren called and panic for having unprotected sex with bf. told her about the morning after pill.... and she went to take those

but the pharmacist advised that it's best taken 12 hours after intercourse latest 48 hours. does this means it wouldn't work after that time period?

and yes i scold the hell out of her for being stupid

Support for this informative thread...

Lets say you eat your birth control pills at 8pm everyday for 21 days. What if one day you forgot to take at 8pm but took it at 10pm instead? Because you were out and you forgot to bring it to the cinema.

Will it have any side-effects? Do we have to re-do the whole thing again?

If you have forgotten to take your pill from the usual time 10pm and it is before the next dosing time (8pm the next day) you still take take it immediately as soon as you remember it (not more than 12 hours)! Then continues taking the next dose as usual the next day.

But if you missed you pills for 2 consecutives day then different rules applies here (7 days rules) depending on how many pills have left on the strips and how many days have you missed the pills.

it is best taken within 5 hours after intercourse and the latest is 72hours.. but the chance of getting pregnant is high..

the lower the hours taken the better it is

REMEMBER FRIENDS:LISTEN TO ME!

Morning After Pills-Do not take more than 4 (four) a month

If you want to take more often of the pills, please convert to OC pills (21 tabs for 1 month cycle).

yea! POSTINOR IS NOT TO BE TAKEN more than 4 times in a month....
i tried it before and my gawd.....tulang sakit giler barbie man.....

i now use Marvelon... another type name is Mercilon.... is the 21 day cycle.... after 21 days....just lepak for 7 days and then start again another 21 day cycle of pills...

its much more convenient...u can make love as many times as u want....

if morning after pills...(like postinor) abit leh cheh la...cos u shudnt eat more than 4 a month... last time they sold it 12 in a strip....but due to misuse...now it is 2 pills in one strip and its rm3.20 man!!!! if u take the 21 days its cheaper...rm9.90 - rm14.90 per strip.

and its available at any guardian, watson or vitacare, or any pharmacy whose pharmacist is working on that day!!!!! if the worker there says no demand so they dunt carry stock...is lying to u!!!! the feller probably does not know what they're selling!!

wear ler condom.........

I AM SICK......

take a water hose.....stuff it in........open the tap full blast......let the water wash everything out....................................................

Hey feynman! HAve some respect on womens' reproductive organ please!

while it does sound crude, one cannot deny its practicability. Water can wash off anything you don't want.......

bah....give some sound suggestion la...wondering where u get ur elite banner~

from education subforum of course

but really.....no one actualy tried it before........it's save i suppose....

If U're the female and would U tried in on you. U know how dirty the water can be nowadays despite all the state-of-the-art filters around!

What u can find in the pharmacy nowdays which sound more senses is feminine douche. It contains a slighly acidic solutions used to wash away impurities in the womb.

There is always the trustable distilled water.......actually i would.........i wonder what is inside the uterus....air? fluid?

Hey first of all, great topic! So hopefully i can contribute a little


In Malaysia today, the oral contraceptive pill is being replace by an only progesterone pill. Its called levonorgestrel. Its shown that its slightly more effective than the OCP and cause less side effect compared to OCP, such as nausea and vomitting.
It can be taken up to 5 days after u have sex, but take note, the more u delay, the more likely u will get pregnant. There is a 85% chance it can prevent pregnancy. All u need to take is 1.5mg ( 2 tablets) at 1 time.


If u have not given birth before and u just had sex the night before, IUCD will most likely not be suitable. This is because the cervix ( or more accurately the os) of someone who has not given birth is so small, its gonna be really hard to insert an IUCD. Also, the IUCD is really expensive (RM 300 to 500) . Its only suitable for married women with kids as a emergency method. It can be used up to 7 days after sex.

Hope this helps

Cool. Now I can make love with the girls I like without worries.

can somebody give out more of their experience on 21days cycle pills?

Girls? Respect gals a bit lar

Actually, I'll do it if the girls make the first move. I got their consent. Also, they demand me to use morning after pills instead of condom.

They demand u to use morning after pills instead of condom....

Hmm... since when did guys started using pills....??
Not only u dont have respect for girls, u dont seem very bright do u ?

ECP... another name which is EHC -- emergency hormonal contraception.. as the name suggest.. it is for emergency use only.. emergency may due to missed dose of oral contraceptives pills, failed contraceptive measure (burst condom), or rapped..