Emergency Contraception

'The Condom Broke!'
'We didn't plan to have sex.'
'I missed taking 2 pills this week.'
'I just didn't remember.'
'We were drinking, and forgot.'
'The diaphragm wasn't in place.'
'I was forced to have sex.'
'We didn't use anything.'

Plan B is now available over the counter for women and men 18 and older

Click here for more info

If you've had unprotected sex within the last 5 days, it's not too late. You can do something to prevent pregnancy. Emergency contraception (EC) is safe, effective, and available.

Emergency Contraceptive Pills

The most common form of EC involves taking pills. These pills contain ingredients typically found in birth control pills, but at higher doses. Commonly called the ‘morning after pill’ or ‘ECP’, these need to be taken as soon as possible, and are effective up to 5 days (120 hours) after unprotected sex. The most commonly used ECP is Plan B. These pills are available to all men/women who are 18 or over without a prescription in most pharmacies (including all pharmacies at Rutgers University Health Services (RUHS) health centers). For women under 18, a prescription is still necessary, and may be obtained from a RUHS clinician.

Emergency contraception prevents pregnancy by preventing the release of an egg, and impeding fertilization (by sperm) of eggs that have already been released. It's also possible that a fertilized egg may be prevented from attaching to the uterus.

Most women tolerate ECP well, but side effects may include nausea, vomiting, and a delayed or early menstrual period. Emergency Contraception should not be used as an ongoing form of birth control. If you are already pregnant, there is not increased risk to the fetus from use of ECP. ECP will not cause an abortion or miscarriage. If you think you are already pregnant from a previous sexual encounter, take a pregnancy test before you use ECP.

The table below. lists many pills that may be used as ECP. Because it is available over the counter and typically causes less nausea, most women will prefer to use Plan B. Commonly used birth control pills are listed as women may have ready access (eg, if they already had a prescription but hadn’t been taking regularly).

Intrauterine Device

An Intrauterine Device (IUD) may also be used as emergency contraception. This would typically be inserted by a gynecologist, and, while it is extremely effective, tends to be more expensive and difficult to obtain than ECP.

EC does not protect you against STIs (sexually transmitted infections), including HIV. Consistent and correct use of condoms and dental dams during sex (anal, oral, and vaginal) is the effective way to help prevent infection with an STI.

Examples of pills that may be used for Emergency Contraception

Brand	First Dose	Second Dose (12 hours later)
Progestin-only pills
Plan-B⁺	2 white pills	None^*
Combined progestin and estrogen pills
Alesse	5 pink pills	5 pink pills
Aviane	5 orange pills	5 orange pills
Cryselle	4 white pills	4 white pills
Enpresse	4 orange pills	4 orange pills
Jolessa	4 pink pills	4 pink pills
Lessina	5 pink pills	5 pink pills
Levlen	4 light-orange pills	4 light-orange pills
Levlite	5 pink pills	5 pink pills
Levora	4 white pills	4 white pills
Lo/Ovral	4 white pills	4 white pills
Low-Ogestrel	4 white pills	4 white pills
Lutera	5 white pills	5 white pills
Nordette	4 light-orange pills	4 light-orange pills
Ogestrel	2 white pills	2 white pills
Ovral	2 white pills	2 white pills
Portia	4 pink pills	4 pink pills
Preven	2 blue	2 blue
Quasense	4 white pills	4 white pills
Seasonale	4 pink pills	4 pink pills
Seasonique	4 light-blue-green pills	4 light-blue-green pills
Tri-Levlen	4 yellow pills	4 yellow pills
Triphasil	4 yellow pills	4 yellow pills
Trivora	4 pink pills	4 pink pills

^*The label for Plan B says to take one pill within 72 hours after unprotected intercourse, and another pill 12 hours later. However, recent research has found that both Plan B pills can be taken at the same time.

⁺Plan B is only emergency contraceptive available, for those 18 and over, without a prescription.

A health care provider can determine the best method for emergency contraception with you. If you use EC and you don't get a period after 3 weeks, get tested for a possible pregnancy. All RUHS Centers offer Emergency Contraception for a fee. If you cannot access a student health center in time (within 120 hours), call 1-888-NOT-2-LATE to find a provider in your area.

For more information about contraception and STIs, http://health.rutgers.edu

Rutgers University Health Services

Busch-Livingston Health Center
Hurtado Health Center
Willets Health Center

(732) 445-3250
(732) 932-7402
(732) 932-9805

Other Resources
http://ec.princeton.edu

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Last Modified 09/12/2007