King's Pharmacy
What is Emergency Contraception and How Do You Get it?
Emergency contraception is a form of birth control that’s used to avoid pregnancy after having unprotected sex for one reason or the other. It has to be used as soon as possible after sex for it to be effective. The emergency pill is safe to use even if you are already pregnant. Keep reading to learn more about the morning after pill in Birmingham.
Another name for emergency contraception is the morning after pill. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you should wait until the next morning after unprotected sex to use it.
How does the morning after pill in Birmingham work?
The morning after pill works by stopping or delaying egg release during ovulation. Ovulation happens due to high levels of luteinising hormone (LH). The morning after pill may become less effective if LH levels are high. This makes it necessary to use the pill as soon as possible after unprotected sex to increase its effectiveness.
You can use one of the two types of the emergency pill: ellaOne and Levonorgestrel. Levonorgestrel has been shown to be less effective with increased levels of LH, while ellaOne seems to be effective even when taken later in the menstrual cycle.
Nevertheless, both types of morning after pills must be used as soon as possible after unprotected sex, preferably within 24 hours. Even though emergency contraception has to be collected in person, you can make your order and collect the pills the same day.
What are the side effects of Emergency Contraception?
The common side effects associated with using emergency contraception are nausea, irregular bleeding, abdominal pain, and headaches.
Can the morning after pill in Birmingham protect me from STIs?
No. The morning after pill can only be used for preventing pregnancy. It does not offer protection against sexually transmitted diseases or infections such as HIV, genital warts or chlamydia.
Practising safe sex and using a condom during sex are the only ways to protect yourself from getting or spreading STIs.
Find out more about your sexual health in our previous blog post here:
Learn More About Sexual Health
What is unprotected sex and safe sex?
Unprotected sex means no method of birth control or condoms is used by the people involved in sexual intercourse. Safe sex is when condoms and contraception are involved.
Unprotected sex happens when regular contraception fails to work for some reason or when a couple is caught up in the moment and forgets to use any form of protection during sex. It can also happen when a condom breaks during sexual intercourse or when the woman forgets to use her regular method of contraception.
Safe sex involves using a condom during intercourse to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections and diseases.
It is often recommended to use a condom even if you are on other forms of contraception.
Learn more about sexual health in our previous blog post here:
Happy couple holding each other
How effective is the morning after pill in Birmingham?
Even if the morning after pill is effective when used correctly, it’s not considered a reliable form of regular contraception. It’s meant to be used for emergency purposes only, and it becomes less effective if used repeatedly or after a long time following unprotected sex.
Visit King’s Pharmacy today to get your morning after pill.
This blog post was written on behalf of King’s Pharmacy by Pharmacy Mentor.