EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTIVE PILL- Do’s & Don’ts
WHATEVER
THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT IT
( This Facebook video contains live chat about all these questions and answers )
Que1) What is Emergency Contraceptive Pill and what
does it do?
Ans) Emergency Contraceptive Pill is supposed to
prevent unintended pregnancy after unprotected intercourse or contraceptive failure.
Que2 ) How does Emergency Contraceptive Pill
work ?
Ans) First- you should know the very basic of
how a woman gets pregnant
-Every
month, for a woman the menstrual period will last for 3-5 days
-Afterwards
comes stage of folliculogenesis i.e. maturation of ova or egg till day 14-15
- Around
middle of cycle there is release of ova from follicle of ovary.
-Meeting of
ova and sperm happens in Fallopian tube with starting of life I.e. formation of
embryo.
-Embryo
travels through the Fallopian tube, comes to the uterine cavity, & gets
attached to the endometrium i.e. the lining of the uterus known as implantation
and life starts.
Now- we
will discuss, how Emergency Contraceptive Pill works-
- Emergency
Contraceptive Pill will stop the egg from being released from the ovary
(prevention of ovulation)
-If
ovulation has already happened it will prevent sperm from attaching to the ova.
- It makes
endometrium unsuitable for implantation.
What it
can not do-
-If
pregnancy is already established in the uterus i.e. implantation has happened, Emergency
Contraceptive Pill cannot prevent it from growing neither can cause menses to
come.
IMPORTANT
MESSAGE- EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTIVE PILL IS NOT AN ABORTION PILL
-This
notion that it will remove pregnancy is the most important reason for
“perceived” failure of Emergency Contraceptive Pill
Que3)
What are the circumstances in which Emergency Contraceptive Pill can be used?
Ans) Please note that Emergency Contraceptive Pill
should be used as ‘BACK UP METHOD OF
BIRTH CONTROL’ and ‘NOT A SUBSTITUTE OF REGULAR BIRTH CONTROL METHOD’
It can be
used under following circumstances-
1)Male contraceptive
failure- e. g. leakage/ tear / improper use of condom
2)Female
forgot to take daily dose of regular oral contraceptive pill
3)Spontaneous
/ unnoticed expulsion of IUCD- Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device (Copper-T)
4)
Unprotected sex- couple did not use any method to protect themselves
5) Forced
sex – e.g. Rape
Que4) Is Emergency Contraceptive Pill safe to
use?
Ans) Emergency Contraceptive Pill has approval from
proper authorities, if taken for approved indications.
Que5) How effective is Emergency Contraceptive
Pill?
Ans) The effectiveness of Emergency Contraceptive
Pill is
-
95
% when taken within 12 hours
-
85
% when taken within 25-48 hours
-
58
% when taken within 49-72 hours
Que6) What are the side effects of Emergency
Contraceptive Pill?
Ans) Common side effects are
1) Nausea, vomiting, headache
2) Lower abdominal pain and breast
tenderness
3) Unexpected vaginal bleeding- this
one is the most common side effect that brings woman to the OPD. It is expected
to settle down by next menstrual cycle but at times requires medicinal support
to control bleeding like- Antifibrinolytics, high doses of hormone –
progesterone and Ormeloxifene.
WORD OF
CAUTION- It is
seen that many couples will use Emergency Contraceptive Pill, repeatedly,
indiscriminately & without consulting Gynecologist or family doctor. These
women may face severe side effects like intractable (Unstoppable) vaginal
bleeding which proves very difficult to manage & control & is quite
debilitating for the woman’s health.
Que7) If despite taking Emergency Contraceptive
Pill - woman misses her menses, how can we know whether she is pregnant or not?
Ans) If woman misses her periods after taking Emergency
Contraceptive Pill, she should do urine pregnancy test & Beta HCG test in
blood to check if she has become pregnant.
Decision to
continue with pregnancy or terminate can be taken after discussion with the
Gynecologist.
Que8) if more than 72 hours have passed since
unprotected sex, will Emergency Contraceptive Pill still work?
Ans) Emergency Contraceptive Pill is designed to work within certain
time frame. If this is exceeded, you should consult your Gynecologist and
consider option options.
Que9) Can Emergency Contraceptive Pill be used as
regular birth control pill?
Ans) No woman should replace her regular birth
control pill or OC Pill with Emergency Contraceptive Pill. Think about the
irregular bleeding that happens after taking it. Also, protection rate is not
100 %. Regular birth control pills when taken as prescribed, on one hand
provide 100 % protection & on top of that give extra benefit of
regularization of cycles.
Que10) How often Emergency Contraceptive Pill
can be used?
Ans) As the name suggests, it is for emergency only
and THAT should arise only once in a while.
Couples
should take care of themselves by using one of regular methods of
contraception.
Que11) What are the points I should clearly
understand before I take Emergency Contraceptive Pill?
Ans) Following points you should remember
1) Emergency Contraceptive Pill will
not work for you if you are already pregnant
2) It should not be used as regular
birth control method owing to its too many side effects & higher failure
rates.
3) It doesn’t protect against HIV/ AIDS
or any other STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease)
Que12) How is Emergency Contraceptive Pill
different from abortion pill?
Ans) Both of them work in diametrically opposite
way. Emergency Contraceptive Pill is designed so that it prevents the starting
of pregnancy.
Whereas if
pregnancy has already occurred then only abortion pills will work on it and aid
in removing it.
Que13) Will Emergency Contraceptive Pill still
be effective if several acts of unprotected intercourse have happened in a
short duration of time?
Ans) We have already discussed the time span & effectiveness
of EC. For several acts to happen, time span will naturally increase &
hence the effectiveness will go down. Anyway, by indulging in several acts the
very basic fundamental concept of ‘Emergency’ is forfeited. It can be used but
with clear understanding & after consultation with a Gynecologist.
Que14) Can Emergency Contraceptive Pill be used
during breast feeding period?
Ans) Emergency Contraceptive Pill does not have any
significant milk decreasing effect. It can be used. However, again use of
regular contraceptive method is advised.
Que15) Do I require a check up by doctor before
taking Emergency Contraceptive Pill?
Ans) A normal healthy female can take EC on her
own. However, it is always better to check with your Gynecologist as soon as
& whenever possible.
STAY SAFE,
STAY PROTECTED
To know more log on to my website-
By
Dr Himani Gupta
Gynaecologist & Obstetrician
Director-My Gynaec World
Official Head Quarter
Mother ‘n’ Care Clinic
Row House F 44/32
First Floor
Near Shivaji Chowk
Sector 12-Kharghar, Navi Mumbai
Ph +91-7506027299
+91- 9820193283
Email-mygynaecworld@gmail.com
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-Om Navjeevan Hospital,Plot No.2, Sector-21. Kharghar, Navi Mumbai
-Sanjeevan Hospital,Plot No. F/14, Opp. State Bank of Hyderabad,Sector-12, Kharghar,Navi Mumbai
-Kharghar Medicity Hospital,Aum Sai CHS, Plot NO – C/23 Sector 7, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai
-Motherhood Hospital,Utasav Chowk, Plot -No-5, Sector -7, Kharghar, Navi`Mumbai
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People from following locations of Navi Mumbai and Raigad can approach us for Gynaecology related advise
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EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTIVE PILL- Do’s & Don’ts
Reviewed by Dr Himani Gupta,Gynecologist,Kharghar,Navi Mumbai
on
22:59
Rating:
Reviewed by Dr Himani Gupta,Gynecologist,Kharghar,Navi Mumbai
on
22:59
Rating:
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