• Made love unexpectedly?
• Been forced to have sex?
• Had a condom break, slip, or come off?
• Forgotten to take several birth control pills?
• Awakened to realize you were having sex?
• Expected your partner to pull out...but he didn't?
• Found out after sex your diaphragm had slipped?

If the answer is "yes" to any of the above questions, you should know about Plan B, otherwise known as Emergency Contraceptive Pills.

What is Plan B?

Plan B should be routinely used as Emergency Contraception if available rather than high doses of Combined Oral Contraceptive Pills!

• Plan B is a FDA-approved progestin-only method of Emergency Contraception that is highly effective. It works by preventing a pregnancy from occurring, not by causing an abortion.
• Two pills come in a pack, and both pills can be taken at once or 12 hours apart from each other.
• Plan B should be taken AS SOON AS POSSIBLE after unprotected intercourse to be most effective. If taken within 72 hours after unprotected intercourse, Plan B can prevent pregnancy in 89% of women. However, you can take Plan B up to 120 hours after unprotected intercourse and it will still be effective in preventing pregnancy.

What is the Yuzpe Method?

This method uses Combined Oral Contraceptive Pills if Plan B is not available.

• ECPs are two large doses of ordinary birth control pills. Within 120 hours after unprotected intercourse, you can take emergency contraceptive pills to avoid becoming pregnant. A drug to prevent nausea is often taken as well.
• If your ECPs are Alesse, you take 5 pills within 120 hours of unprotected intercourse and five more 12 hours later.
• If your ECPs are Lo-Ovral, Nordette, Levlen, Tri Levlen (yellow pills), or Tri Phasil (yellow pills), you take 4 pills within 120 hours of unprotected intercourse and four more 12 hours later.
• If your ECPs are Ovral, you take 2 pills within 120 hours of unprotected intercourse and 2 more 12 hours later. Ovral is usually more expensive than other ECPs and some drugstores don't carry Ovral.
Complete information about emergency contraceptive pills is available through your clinician.


ECP Dose 1 Dose 2 Alesse 5 piulls 5 pills Lo-Ovral Nordette Levlen Triphasil (yellow pills) Trilevlen (yellow pills) 4 pills 4 pills Ovral 2 pills 2 pills



Advantages:

• ECPs prevent unwanted pregnancies after unprotected sex.
• Reduces anxiety about an unintended pregnancy.
• Some women who can't take birth control pills on a regular basis can still use ECPs.
• ECPs prevent abortions and cost less than an abortion.
• Have reduced teen pregnancies by 40%.
• They can be obtained and left in your medicine cabinet in case of an emergency.
• Plan B will soon be over the counter in the US.

Disadvantages:

• ECPs may cause nausea in up to 50% of women and vomiting in up to 20% of women. However the Plan B method causes less nausea and vomiting than does the Yuzpe method.
• They are not as effective as other contraceptives used regularly.
• ECPs should not be used as your primary contraceptive. However, if you must use ECPs several times, they are not dangerous.
• Not all pharmacies carry ECPs.
• If under 18, you must get a prescription for ECPs from your clinician. Plan B is not currently available over the counter to minors.
  

Where can I get emergency contraceptive pills?
For 72 hours AFTER unprotected sex, you can take emergency contraceptive pills to avoid becoming pregnant. For up to 7 days AFTER unprotected sex, you can have an IUD put in. Not all clinicians know about emergency contraception. If you want more information or would like the phone numbers of clinicians near you who prescribe emergency contraception, CALL the toll-free hotline 1-888-NOT-2-LATE or 1-800-584-9911. Some of these sources of help are free.