How old is the morning after pill

Although the contraceptive pill has been available for over 50 years in the UK, women had to wait until until the first licensed morning after pill was launched in Britain. Early trials in the s used high doses of oestrogen, taken over five days, to prevent unwanted pregnancies before researchers discovered that a combination of oestrogen and progestogen was safer. By , it was available to buy from UK pharmacies.

Morning after pills designed to be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex have been available from pharmacies for some years now, with a five-day emergency pill called ellaOne only available from GPs and family planning clinics. However in , the European Union changed the status of this 5-day emergency pill so that now, it can be bought from chemists across the UK without a prescription — just like the other emergency contraceptive pills. In , emergency contraceptives were licensed for under 16s in the UK which caused controversy among some campaigners who wanted to deny children access to it.

Whilst some sexual health charities welcomed the change in law, arguing that all women and girls should have access to the pill without fear of stigmatization, other organisations were resistant. Today, three types of emergency contraception are available in the UK: the copper coil IUD , ellaOne, and the traditional morning after pill, which is usually known as Levonelle, or the generic version is Levonorgestrel.

Updated April 30, Tummino v. Updated March 23, Center for Reproductive Rights. Federal judge orders FDA to broaden access to emergency contraception.

Office of Population Research at Princeton University. Types of emergency contraception. Updated February 22, Weisberg DK. Chapter 8: Procreation. In: Family Law. Torti , F. Y, Mar. Hamburg , No. Hamburg No. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit June 5 Department of Health and Human Services.

Federal Register. February 25, ; vol no FDA Newsroom. Trussell, F. Stewart, F. The ulipristal acetate emergency contraceptive pill EllaOne , is more effective at preventing pregnancy than the levonorgestrel emergency contraceptive pill.

Another emergency contraception option is the non-hormonal copper IUD. See non-hormonal copper IUD for more information. The emergency contraceptive pill should be taken swallowed as soon as possible after unprotected sex. It can be taken up to 4 or 5 days after unprotected sex, depending on the type of pill you take.

Speak to a doctor, nurse or pharmacist for further information. You can buy the emergency contraceptive pill at a pharmacy. You do not need a script. The price will vary depending on the type of emergency contraceptive pill and the pharmacy.

The emergency contraceptive pill can change the amount of vaginal bleeding for your next menstrual period. It may also make your period late or earlier, or it may come as you normally expect.

If your period is more than 7 days late or lighter than usual, take a pregnancy test as soon as you can. Speak to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist for more information on why the emergency contraceptive pill might not be a good option for you.

Emergency contraceptive pills will not harm the pregnancy. It is safe to continue the pregnancy or to have an abortion. The ulipristal acetate emergency contraceptive pill can affect your breast milk. You may need to express and throw out breast milk for 24 hours after taking it. Plan B One-Step contains the hormone levonorgestrel — a progestin — which can prevent ovulation, block fertilization or keep a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. The morning-after pill is a type of emergency birth control contraception.

Emergency contraception is used to prevent pregnancy for women who've had unprotected sex or whose birth control method has failed. The morning-after pill is intended for backup contraception only, not as a primary method of birth control.

Morning-after pills contain either levonorgestrel Plan B One-Step, Aftera, others or ulipristal acetate ella. Levonorgestrel is available over-the-counter without a prescription; ulipristal acetate is available only with a prescription. Morning-after pills can help prevent pregnancy if you've had unprotected sex — either because you didn't use birth control, you missed a birth control pill, you were sexually assaulted or your method of birth control failed.

Morning-after pills do not end a pregnancy that has implanted. They work primarily by delaying or preventing ovulation. Keep in mind that the morning-after pill isn't the same as mifepristone Mifeprex , also known as RU or the abortion pill. This drug terminates an established pregnancy — one in which the fertilized egg has attached to the uterine wall and has begun to develop.