Emergency Contraceptive Pills for Stopping Unintended Pregnancy
Written on July 23, 2009 by steven
There are more than 2.7 million unintended pregnancies per year in the United States and nearly half are due to contraceptive failure. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 11 million American women report using contraceptive methods associated with high failure rates, including condoms, withdrawal, periodic abstinence, and diaphragms. These facts led the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve the “Preven Emergency Contraceptive Kit.”
Emergency contraception can be used when a condom breaks, after a sexual assault, or any time unprotected sexual intercourse occurs. Emergency contraceptive pills(ECPs) are ordinary birth control pills containing the hormones estrogen and progestin. Although the therapy is commonly known as the morning- after pill, the term is misleading; ECPs can be used up to 72 hours beyond. The use of ECPs can reduce the risk of pregnancy by 75 percent.
Emergency contraceptives require a prescription. After a woman determines she is not pregnant, by using the pregnancy test included in the kit, the first dose of two light blue emergency pills is taken as soon as possible, within 72 hours after sex with a known or suspected birth control failure or sex without birth control. The second dose is taken 12 hours later. The most common side effects related to emergency use are nausea, vomiting, menstrual irregularities, breast tenderness, headache, abdominal pain and cramps, and dizziness.
Emergency minipills contain progestin only. Like ECPs, minipills can be used immediately after unprotected intercourse and up to 72 hours beyond. Emergency mini pills are equally as effective as ECPs, but nausea and vomiting are far less common. Emergency minipills are an excellent alternative for most women who cannot use ECPs that contain estrogen.
- Foams, Suppositories, Jellies, and Creams Like condoms, jellies, creams, suppositories, and foam do not require a prescription. Chemically, they are referred to as spermicides substances designed to kill sperm. Foams, suppositories, jellies, and creams usually contain nonoxynol-9, a detergent believed to be effective in also killing viruses, bacteria, and other organisms. Although they are not recommended as the primary form of contraception, spermicides are often recommended for use with other forms of contraception. While they help prevent the spread of certain STDs, they are most effective when used in conjunction with a condom.
Jellies and creams are packaged in tubes, and foams are available in aerosol cans. All have tubes designed for insertion into the vagina. They must be inserted far enough to cover the cervix, providing both a chemical barrier that kills sperm and a physical barrier that stops sperm from continuing toward an egg.
Suppositories are waxy capsules that are placed deep in the vagina and melt once they are inside. They must be inserted 10 to 20 minutes before intercourse to have time to melt but no longer than one hour prior to intercourse or they lose their effectiveness. Additional contraceptive chemicals must be applied for each subsequent act of intercourse.
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