Important Facts About So-Called Emergency Contraception

Important Facts About So-Called Emergency Contraception

Emergency contraception is a catch-all term used to describe the various ways to stop a possible pregnancy using drugs or a birth control device after engaging in unprotected sex. The oral form of emergency contraception, often called the morning after pill or MAP, is a pill that uses the same hormones as birth control pills but in much higher doses. These pills are not meant to abort an existing pregnancy, if there is one, but to prevent one from developing.One type of pill is called Plan B One-Step and involves taking just one pill containing the hormone levonorgestrel. The other more common morning after treatment uses progestin and estrogen and requires one pill be taken as soon after unprotected sex as possible and then a second pill taken 12 hours later. Neither of these treatments is as effective as regular birth control, and are generally acknowledged to have a 25% failure rate.Doctors have been prescribing high doses of birth control pills to victims of rape as far back as the 1960s. About 30 percent of this type of birth control was given to women who were victims of sexual assault in an attempt to lessen the impact of such a traumatic experience. A number of studies have been done regarding the effectiveness and safety of this procedure to determine if it should be made more widely available. Because of its controversial nature, relatively unreliable outcome, and potential harmful side effects, the FDA did not approve the use of the MAP until 1997.Before considering using the MAP, here are some important things to consider:First, you should realize that the MAP will not help if you are already pregnant. In fact it could create health risks for both you and the newly developing baby. Therefore you should always take a pregnancy test before using the MAP, and only use it if the results of the test are negative.Second, be aware of the risks of the MAP before you end up in a situation where you are tempted to use it. Do not think of the MAP as just another alternative method of birth control which you can resort to if you think you might have had unprotected sex that is likely to lead to pregnancy. You don't want to put yourself in a situation that causes you to panic and as a result end up taking high doses of hormones that you are better off without.Third, when considering using the MAP, be aware that the active ingredients are similar to those found in other birth control pills, but in much higher doses. The pills release progestin and estrogen that stops ovulation, fertilization, and implantation of an embryo. These processes are definitely not the sort of thing you should be messing with if it can be avoided.Fourth, remember that even the most optimistic estimates put the failure rate of the MAP at about 25%. Whether it works or not is dependent on several factors that are often beyond your control.Fifth, because the MAP has only been used by substantial numbers of women for a fairly short time, there are no adequate studies to show the long-term effects of the treatment. We basically have no way of knowing whether women - especially young women - will be permanently damaged, or risk developing things such as cancer as a result of usage. In fact the opposite is the case. We have good reason to believe that the use of high doses of any powerful chemicals that alter complex bodily functions are potentially harmful.

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