Emergency Contraception
(The Morning-After Pill)
KVCAP offers the morning-after pill as an option for pregnancy prevention. What
if:
- You were forced to have sex.
- A condom broke or slipped off during sex.
- You didn't use any birth control, and you were not planning a pregnancy.
- Your diaphragm slipped out of place.
- You had sex when you didn't expect to.
- You stopped taking your birth control pills.
- You missed pills and/or took them late.
- You are on a medication that affects the effectiveness of your birth control
pill.
If you had unprotected intercourse for any reason, and are certain that you
do not want to be pregnant, you may want to consider taking emergency contraception
(ECP).
What is an ECP?
By using the ECP, you decrease your chance of becoming pregnant by about 89%.
ECP treatment consists of two doses of hormone pills. The first dose is taken
as soon as possible after intercourse, and the second dose is taken 12 hours
later. Something New. Now you may take both doses at one time. The benefits
and side effects are the same!! The faster you can get the treatment started,
the more effective it is. ECP provides a short, strong burst of hormones. This
interferes with hormone patterns essential for a pregnancy to continue. Hormones
released from the ovary is reduced, and the development of the uterine lining
is disturbed. These disruptions are temporary, lasting only a few days.
Timing is everything! ECP must be taken as soon as possible, no later than 72
hours after unprotected sex for optimal protection but may be effective up to
5 full days.
You do not need an appointment for ECP's, you can come in anytime that we are
open. If you would like to continue with a regular method of birth control,
you will need to make a separate appointment.
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