What does the morning after pill do? Separate fact from fiction

EllaOne^® contains ulipristal acetate which will affect the hormones that control ovulation in your current menstrual cycle. This means it can change the date your next period arrives, or make it heavier or lighter than usual. After taking EllaOne^®, most women have a normal period at the expected time. But some may have their period later or earlier than normal. If your period is more than 7 days late or is unusually light or unusually heavy or if you experience symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting or breast pain or if you have any doubt about being pregnant, you should perform a pregnancy test to make sure you are not pregnant.

Some woman may experience side effects. Tell your pharmacist or doctor as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking EllaOne^®.

If you vomit within 3 hours of taking an EllaOne^® tablet, you should consult your pharmacist, doctor or healthcare provider in
order to take another tablet.

When purchasing EllaOne^®, you will be asked questions to determine whether the medicine is suitable for you. One of the things that the pharmacist is assessing is whether you are allergic to any of the ingredients. Tell your pharmacist or doctor if you have allergies to any other medicines, foods, preservatives or dyes. You can also double-check this by reading the leaflet that comes with your medicine and checking you are not allergic to any ingredients.

The morning after pill is only capable of preventing pregnancy by delaying ovulation this means that there is no egg in the fallopian tube for the sperm to meet and fertilise. If the morning after pill is taken by someone who is already pregnant, emergency contraception will not interrupt this pregnancy.

EllaOne^® will not affect your future fertility.

If you have unprotected sex after taking EllaOne^® , it will not stop you from becoming pregnant. Therefore it is important you use condoms until your next period.

After using EllaOne^® , if you wish to use regular hormonal contraception such as birth control pills, you should do so no sooner than 5 days after the intake of EllaOne^® . Be sure to also use a reliable barrier contraceptive method such as condoms until your next period.

As the name suggests, emergency contraception pills should be for an emergency and not used in place of regular contraception. The oral contraceptive pill works in a similar way to emergency contraception – they both can affect ovulation – but they are not the same medicine.

It is also important to remember that the morning after pill cannot protect against sexually transmitted infections. Only condoms can do that.

If you are sexually active, it makes sense to have a regular contraceptive that works for you: whether that is condoms, oral contraceptive pills or an IUD, there are plenty of contraceptives to choose from! If you have more questions, you can make an appointment with your GP to talk about your choices.

The morning after pill has a specific window of effectiveness from when the unprotected sex took place. If you have sex again after taking emergency contraception, you should use a barrier method of contraception (like a condom) until your next period arrives. From then on, you should find a method of regular contraception that works for you to avoid having any accidents in the future.

It is possible to take emergency contraception more than once in the same cycle, but you should ask your pharmacist for advice if this is the case.

No unfortunately it does not. If you’re having unprotected sex, pregnancy is not the only risk. There are also STIs to be aware of. The morning after pill only affects your ovulation, by stopping or delaying it to prevent pregnancy. The only contraceptive method that also protects against STIs is a condom.

If you have had unprotected sex, you should make an appointment to have an STI test with your doctor or at a sexual health clinic. Don’t wait for symptoms to appear, because many STIs can be symptomless.