The Need to Know About Unprotected Sex and Emergency Contraception

For sure you have heard about emergency contraception before and the majority of women use this kind of birth control in case they have unprotected sex. There are two main kinds of contraception methods in this case. If you choose the first one then you will have to take special doses of birth control pills, while in the other case there will be a special device placed in your uterus.

How to use emergency contraception?

If you have unprotected sex or the regular birth control method fails, you can use this method that is also known as morning after pill. This kind of pill is taken in two doses, and you can take it right after intercourse. The sooner you take it, the better, and you should take it maximum 120 hours or five days after having sex. In case of emergency contraception you will have to take the second dose 12 hours after you have taken the first one.

You’ better ask your doctor in case you had unprotected sex about the way to take the pills. There is a special brand of pills created for such situations and it got the name of levonorgestrel. The main ingredient in this case is progestin.

Professionals also say that certain kinds of contraception pills can be used as emergency contraception too.

As it has been mentioned before, an intrauterine device can be used in case of unprotected sex, and this has to be placed in the uterus maximum 7 days after having sex. This is a small device that can be left in the body for 5 or 10 years, and during that time you will not get pregnant.

How do these methods work?

The pills that are used prevent the release of an egg from the ovary and they can prevent the fertilization of the egg or the attachment of the fertilized egg to the wall of the uterus.

Nonetheless the emergency contraception pill must not be mistaken for the abortion pill that is used during the early period of the pregnancy to terminate the pregnancy. If you are pregnant the pills will not end the pregnancy.

In case of the intrauterine device, your uterus will release an egg, but the device will prevent the fertilization of it and even if it gets fertilized, it won’t be able to get attached to the wall of the uterus. All in all, it’s not the end of the world to have unprotected sex.