Morning after pill

Emergency contraception (known as the "morning after pill") is one that is used to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex. Its recommended use as soon as possible after sexual intercourse but it can be taken up to 120 hours later and has different trade names with which you will find it in pharmacies.

What is the name of the morning after pill

Currently there are two types of substances that are used as emergency contraception:

When is emergency contraception indicated?

The morning after pill It is indicated in:

• Unprotected sex.
• Accidents during the use of the habitual one.
• Rape: should be offered to women who have suffered sexual abuse.
• Exposure to substances that can potentially cause fetal malformations and accidents while using the.

How do they work?

The morning after pill named levonorgestrel It is a hormonal derivative of the progesterone family, which is the hormone that occurs naturally during the second phase of the menstrual cycle and in pregnancy. Its effect depends on the moment of the cycle in which it is administered, but before ovulation it acts preventing it from occurring. If ovulation has already occurred, it acts changing the endometrium and cervical mucus in a way that makes implantation difficult.

Ulipristal acetate acts at the level of progesterone receptors, inhibiting or delaying ovulation. It also produces changes in the endometrium so that impairs your ability to receive the fertilized egg.

Do they have side effects?

The most common side effect of both morning-after pills is nausea. It should be remembered that if vomiting occurs before three hours after the administration of the drug, the dose should be repeated. Headache, fatigue and breast tension, which are usually mild and transient, can also occur.

It should also be noted that the menstrual period may be somewhat more irregular temporarily after the administration of emergency contraception.

If the desired effect is not achieved and a pregnancy occurs, no harmful effects have been described for the fetus due to the fact that this medication has been administered to the mother.

Do they present contraindications?

The first contraindication is the. If the woman has a delay in her menstrual period she should. In any case, it does not have abortifacient effects if a pregnancy has already occurred.

Emergency contraception is contraindicated in women with severe liver failure, but the rest of the contraindications for maternal diseases are relative, so it is preferable that a doctor indicates it. Patients with malabsorptive diseases, such as, have less effective treatment.

How effective are they?

The efficacy of levonorgestrel is greater the earlier it is administered after unprotected intercourse. If it is administered in the first 24 hours it prevents 95% of expected pregnancies, between 24 and 48 hours after the relationship it prevents 85% of expected pregnancies and if it is administered between 48 and 72 hours its effectiveness decreases to 58 %. The average pregnancy rate in women who have been given levonorgestrel for emergency contraception is around 1%.

Ulipristral acetate, meanwhile, has an efficacy of between 85 and 73% if administered in the first 72 hours, with 1.5% of pregnancies. Between 48 and 120 hours, the efficacy is around 61%, with a pregnancy rate of 2.1%.

• Effective: the sooner it is administered, the more effective it is.
• Non-abortive: it avoids a possible pregnancy but if there is already a pregnancy it is not abortive.
• Two alternatives: levonorgestrel and ulipistral acetate are the two substances used for emergency contraception.
• The most common names under which it is marketed are levonorgestrel and ulipristal acetate.

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