Facebook Pixel

The Morning After Pill - Get Your Questions Answered!

By HERWriter
 
Rate This

Until I needed it myself, I was completely unaware that so many women close to me had used Emergency Contraception or the “morning after pill”. At the time, it was very reassuring to hear my friends’ experiences, and because so many women on the EmpowHER website ask questions regarding EC, I thought I would share my own experience and try to provide some answers to general concerns women have after taking the pill.

My need for EC was the result of a mistake many couples make when using condoms. (Now YOU definitely won’t!) Instead of pulling out after his orgasm, my partner remained inside me and when his erection shrank, the condom fell off. I immediately knew that despite my aversion to unnatural hormones, I had no choice but to use Emergency Contraception. First rule of thumb: when in doubt, just take the pill! It’s much less expensive than an abortion or a baby.

I headed to Walgreens and was quickly helped by a pharmacist who seemed quite used to seeing disheveled young women asking for the drug. Anyone over the age of 17 is now able to acquire EC without a prescription, thanks to the recent work of dedicated women's health activists. The brand of EC I received was called Next Choice, an option that contains 2 doses of Levonorgestrel (a hormone commonly used in birth control pills), to be taken 12 hours apart. Another common brand is the Plan B One-Step, consisting of only one pill.

Sitting in the parking lot, I carefully read all the directions on the Next Step package and swallowed the pill. I knew I was well within the time constraints of the pill’s effectiveness (3 days or 72 hours), but because the earlier you take the drug the more effective it will be, I still felt hurried. All day I awaited side effects like dizziness, nausea, or headache, but none came. 12 hours after my first dose, I took the 2nd pill – still feeling just fine.

2 days after I took the pills, I began to feel some cramping. Although it was not yet time in my cycle, I experienced a very light, 3-day period.* Because early stages of pregnancy can also cause similar symptoms, just in case I also took a pregnancy test to confirm. Negative! Though it took about 2 months until my menstrual cycle was regular again, it was clear that the Next Choice pill had done its job with minimal side effects. Sometimes, drugs truly are miracles.

Please feel free to share your own experience with EC, or ask any questions about mine! If there’s interest, I’d love to provide more details about how the drug works and its common side effects. I also (as always) recommend doing your own research on the pill. Planned Parenthood's website is a great place to start: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/emergency-contraception-morning-after-pill-4363.htm

* Important clarification: EC is not the abortion pill. If you are already pregnant, the hormone will not have any effect on a fetus. Instead, Levonorgestrel can prevent ovulation, thicken your vaginal discharge making it less penetrable to sperm, and help shed your uterine lining to prevent implantation of an egg – resulting in the common side effect of a period-like bleeding.

Sources: http://www.mynextchoice.com/Consumer/whatis_Main.asp

Add a Comment182 Comments

Guide (reply to Anonymous)

Hello Anonymous,

Changes in the menstrual cycle are a reported side effect of Plan B.

The next monthly period could start earlier or later than expected. Flow might be heavier or lighter than normal.

The recommendation is to test for pregnancy if you have not had any bleeding within three weeks of taking the pill.

Regards,
Maryann

December 19, 2016 - 10:45am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I had unprotected sex 3 days before my ovulation and took the plan B within an hour, I'm experiencing abdominal cramps 10 days after taking the pill, is this normal???

December 16, 2016 - 12:25pm
Guide (reply to Anonymous)

Hello Anonymous,

Abdominal cramps are a reported side effect of Plan B. However, if by now, the cramps have worsened or persist, consider contacting your gynecologist.

Regards,
Maryann

December 19, 2016 - 10:47am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

hi. i had unprotected november 3 weeks and 3 days ago and took plan b right after
was supposed to get my period 1 week and 1 day ago. still nothing. no pms no nothing.
i've taken 2 pregnancy tests ( one 3 days before my period and one 5 days after my missed period day) and both were negative. could i still be pregnant? why is my period sooo late?
also want to note that 1 week after plan b i had bleeding that lasted 2 days.

December 13, 2016 - 5:00pm
Guide (reply to Anonymous)

Hello Anonymous,

The bleeding, which started one week after taking Plan B, was caused by the pill, and proof that it worked to prevent pregnancy.

the pill can cause changes in the menstrual cycle. The next period could start earlier or later than expected. But, this is usually not by more than five days.

Anonymous, I am concerned that your period is delayed by a little over one week, and you have gotten two negative test results.

This is now a matter to be evaluated by your gynecologist.

Regards,
Maryann

December 14, 2016 - 9:33am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

It has been 2 weeks and 4 days since I had unprotected sex (2 days after my last period day) and took Plan B 17 hours after. A week after plan B I got bleeding for 2 days, but it got progressively heavier during that time which made me think it was an early period until it stopped.
I took a pregnancy test 3 days ago and it came out negative. My period is supposed to come tomorrow, but I have no signs of PMS or anything like that, which only gets me questioning if could be pregnant and the test was wrong. Was it too soon to take a pregnancy test? And was that implantation bleeding?

December 5, 2016 - 6:41pm
Guide (reply to Anonymous)

Hello Anonymous,

The bleeding, which started a week after taking Plan B, was not implantation bleeding, but caused by taking the ECP.

Changes in the menstrual cycle are a reported side effect. Your next period could start on time, but might start earlier or later than expected. Flow could be lighter or heavier than normal.

Regards,
Maryann

December 6, 2016 - 9:54am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

mine last periods were on 2ndd of November and stopped on 4th of November.. and on 7th of November I had unprotected sex .. but the ejaculation was outside of vagina.. after 24 hours I took levonorgestrel 1.5 mg one step ....
And was feeling abdominal pain,nausea,whitish discharge from vagina ..... all the signs were gone within one week and 10 days after (on 17th November)taking levonorgestrel I got periods for 3 days and was lighter ...... now on 28th November the whitish discharge is started agian .... I'm having a lots of mood swings ... am I pregnant??? Do I need to confirm pregnancy test ?? Today is my original date of period?? But it was happened on 17th will I get period today ??

December 1, 2016 - 8:40pm
Guide (reply to Anonymous)

Hello Anonymous,

The bleeding on November 17 was probably triggered by taking levonorgestrel.

The pill can causes changes in the menstrual cycle. It can cause your next period to start earlier or later than expected.. Flow might be lighter or heavier than normal.

If you do not get a period at all this month, please speak with your gynecologist.

Regards,
Maryann

December 2, 2016 - 9:51am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I had protected sex on 22nd ( it was my first time) and I got my period on the next day , I had i pill within 72 hours and my period stopped and on 27th I started spotting and still spotting till now...what's happening? 8

November 29, 2016 - 3:05am
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
By submitting this form, you agree to EmpowHER's terms of service and privacy policy
Add a Comment

We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.