Everyone slips up in life, but what if that slip-up happens during sex?
A failed birth control method may leave someone wondering what they should do. The morning-after pill is typically the first option that comes to mind, but there are many common myths about the pill that should be addressed.
Myth: “I’ll just use the morning after pill as my birth control.”
Truth: The morning-after pill is not nearly as efficient as birth control pills, and may become less likely to prevent a pregnancy the more it is taken.
“There are no safety concerns with using it every week; however, it’s not as effective as any ongoing method of contraception,” the emergency contraception researcher James Trussell, faculty at Princeton University told Women’s Health Magazine.
The morning-after pill is still very effective, but if someone is looking for reliable birth control, they should go talk to their OBGYN about getting on a long-term plan.
Myth: “If I take the morning after pill I will not get pregnant.”
Truth: According to Plan B, the morning-after pill prevents about seven out of eight pregnancies that would have occurred. While it is a reliable preventative in an emergency, abstinence is the only way to ensure that a person does not get pregnant.
Myth: “But I’m against abortion.”
Truth: Morning-after pills are not abortion pills. They contain levonorgestrel, the same ingredient found in many brands of birth control pills. According to Plan B, the pill “contains a higher dose of levonorgestrel than birth control pills, but works in a similar way to help prevent pregnancy.”
Myth: “The unprotected sex happened a couple of days ago, so I can’t take it at this point.”
Truth: Morning-after pills do not have to be taken immediately, they can be taken up to five days after a failed birth control method. According to Planned Parenthood, after 72 hours, the effectiveness goes down to 89 percent. So by day five, the effectiveness drops even lower. It is best to take the morning after pill as soon as possible, but it is not too late if five days have passed since the failed birth control method.
Myth: “I took the morning after pill today, so I can have unprotected sex again later.”
Truth: The morning-after pill only works to its full potential with one failed birth control or unprotected sex. If someone takes the morning-after pill then decides to have unprotected sex, they may end up getting pregnant.
Planned Parenthood writes on their website, “The morning-after pill will not prevent pregnancy for any unprotected sex you may have after taking the pills.”
So, if a person has already taken the morning-after pill, their normal form of birth control should be continued.
