Health Info & Services

If you have had unprotected sex or if your birth control method failed, contact Planned Parenthood toll free at 1-866-600-6886, or your health care provider and ask about emergency contraception (EC). You have up to 120 hours to decrease your risk of pregnancy.

Keeping EC on hand will increase its effectiveness because you'll be able to take it sooner - and the sooner you take it, the more effective it is. EC is available, over the counter, at all of our locations. Please go to the PPRSR clinic closest to you to purchase EC. The cost of EC is $25.

• What is Emergency Contraception (EC)?
• Emergency Contraception Pills
• How EC Pills Work
• How to Use EC Pills
• After You Take the Pills
• Side Effects
• Effectiveness
• How Do I Get EC?
• Questions and Answers

• EC can prevent pregnancy if taken up to 120 hours after unprotected sex. They work best when the first dose is taken within 72 hours.
• EC is 95% effective when taken within 24 hours. When taken within 72 hours EC can reduce the risk of pregnancy by 75 - 89%.
• EC is available from Planned Parenthood centers and other health care providers.

You may want Emergency Contraception if:

• The condom broke or slipped off
• You had unprotected sex
• You forgot to take your birth control pills two days in a row
• Your diaphragm or cervical cap slipped out of place
• You were forced to have unprotected sex

EC does not protect you against sexually transmitted infections

Emergency contraception pills are two birth control pills. You may be given regular pill packs or pills packaged just for EC. Some health care providers will want take your medical history before giving the medication. Some may ask for your consent by signature or verbally over the phone.

The pills either keep the ovary from releasing an egg or change the lining of the uterus (womb) so that a fertilized egg may not attach and develop into a pregnancy. Currently there is no reason to believe that EC pills will harm a fetus. However, it is advised that you not use EC if you are pregnant.

EC does not cause abortion. More information about the difference between emergency contraception and medical abortion.

The number of pills and dosage you take depends on the brand of pills you are given. Your health care provider or pharmacist will tell you how many and what type of pills to take. You must use only one type of pill.

Planned Parenthood strongly recommends that you call the clinic if you need emergency contraception. Call our toll free help line number at 1-866-600-6886 today.

Taking Pills: Swallow the first dose no later than 120 hours (five days) after having unprotected sex. You might feel nauseous. You may want to eat a snack of saltines or soda crackers or drink a glass of milk 30 minutes before taking each dose to avoid vomiting. Your health care provider may prescribe an anti-nausea medication or suggest you use an over-the-counter product. You can also ask the pharmacist for an anti-nausea medication. Anti-nausea products may cause mild side effects such as lightheadedness, dizziness or feeling spacey. Please follow the directions on the package insert.

• Your next period may be earlier or later than usual
• Your flow may be heavier, lighter or more spotty than usual
• If you visit other health care providers before you get your period, remember to tell them that you have taken EC
• Schedule a follow-up visit with your health care provider and get a pregnancy test if you do not have your period in three weeks
• Be sure to use another method of birth control, such as condoms, if you have sex anytime before you get your period again

• EC side effects usually lessen one or two days after the second dose has been taken
• Half of all women who use EC feel nauseous
• Up to one out of three women vomit
• Breast tenderness, irregular bleeding, fluid retention, and headaches may also occur
• Frequent use of EC may cause irregular or unpredictable periods

• Emergency contraception pills reduce the risk of pregnancy by 75 - 89%.
• EC is meant for emergencies only. It is not as effective as using other birth control methods all the time such as the Birth Control Pill, Norplant®, Depo-Provera®, or the IUD.
• Other methods of birth control must be used even after you have taken EC. EC only works for the sexual act that happened in the past 120 hours (5 days).

EC does not protect you against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). You should get an STI test if you might have gotten an STI when you had unprotected sex.

• As an over-the-counter medication, EC is available without a prescription to all people 18 and over. You can go to the PPRSR clinic closest to you to obtain EC for $25.
• If you are not eligible for EC over the phone, or, if you prefer, you may make an appointment at any of our clinics. You may do this when you talk to a nurse through our help line.

Our normal business hours are:

• Monday - Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
• Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

If you call after our normal business hours, you will receive instructions on how to contact an on-call clinician. The clinician will call you back, discuss your needs and your time frame, and will make a decision on how to help you. You may be able to wait until a clinic is open to receive EC, or you may have a precscription called in to a pharmacy.

Can I use EC as birth control?

• No. It should only be used in an emergency. It is not as effective as a regular birth control method.

Does EC cause an abortion?

• EC does not cause an abortion. It works to prevent fertilization or to prevent the egg from attaching to the uterus. It's not the same as Mifeprex (the "abortion pill"). More information about the difference between emergency contraception and medical abortion.

If I take EC and I'm pregnant, will it hurt the fetus?

• No, there is no evidence that EC will harm a developing embryo or fetus.

Does EC protect me against sexually transmitted infections (STI's)?

• No. To reduce the risk of STI's and HIV, you need to abstain (not have sex) or use a condom and spermicides every time you have sex.

More information on Emergency Contraception
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Adapted from PPFA (www.plannedparenthood.org) and Planned Parenthood Golden Gate (www.ppgg.org)