Emergency contraceptive pills (EC pills) have more or less made sure that you do not have to run frantic in fear of an unintended pregnancy after something goes wrong during sex. Taking a morning after pill like Levonelle can keep you worry-free after the condom your partner used last night split or you forgot to take your regular birth control pill. But there are certain facts you should be aware of before using any emergency contraception method.
Emergency contraception is not an alternative to regular birth control
Regular contraceptive pills mainly contain synthetic versions of oestrogen and progestin, and are generally considered to be very effective in preventing ovulation. If you take such a hormonal pill and accidentally miss 3 doses in a row, taking an emergency contraceptive pill alone may not prevent an unintended pregnancy. You may have to stop having sex for a week to ensure ovulation doesn’t occur.
Emergency contraceptive pills do not abort pregnancy
Certain pro-life and anti-abortion groups in the US recently raised questions about how ellaOne (ulipristal acetate) works. This progestin-only EC pill is one of the newly introduced medicines and enjoys a fairly good success rate in preventing unplanned pregnancies. But the controversy was about ellaOne’s potentially harmful effects on just developed embryos. Because ellaOne gives more time than other EC pills to prevent pregnancy, it was suspected that it actually terminates pregnancy. But no conclusive evidence is found so far to suggest that ulipristal acetate is an abortion pill. Be it ellaOne, Levonelle or any other emergency birth control pill, this form of contraception works before pregnancy begins.
Emergency birth control pills do not cause birth defects
When you are already pregnant but continue to take an emergency contraceptive pill because you are unaware of it, the newborn is unlikely to be affected by any of the hormones the pill may contain. There is enough data to suggest that progestin-only pills such as ellaOne and Levonelle contain the same hormone as some of the other regular contraceptive pills and they may not interfere with the development of the foetus. Talk to a doctor for more information on this issue.