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How effective is the morning after pill?
Just wondering how effective it is. I had sex with my boyfriend last night and the condom had split and nearly all of 'it' had leaked inside me. Going to get this pill around 4pm tonight (16 hours since)...
I SHOULD be due on in around 5/6 days... if that makes any difference
I am pretty nervous as it hasn't happened before...!
I SHOULD be due on in around 5/6 days... if that makes any difference
I am pretty nervous as it hasn't happened before...!Scroll to see replies
That's not strictly true. The allotted time is 72 hours. If you take it 72 hours after, then it'll be a lot less effective than if you take it 16 hours after. It gets less effective the longer you wait. In your case, probably about 97-98% effective.
Here's the actual answer:
How effective is emergency contraception?
Levonelle One Step®, the emergency contraceptive pill is 95% effective within 24 hours of unprotected sex, 85% between 25 - 48 hours and 58% if taken between 49 - 72 hours.
Levonelle One Step®, the emergency contraceptive pill is 95% effective within 24 hours of unprotected sex, 85% between 25 - 48 hours and 58% if taken between 49 - 72 hours.
Um, no. Clearly not. Where are you getting this from?
i took the morning after pill first thing in the mornin and it didnt work 4 me.
Spacecam
99.9% if taken within the allotted time and the instructions are followed to the letter
Whoa whoa, that's a dangerous notion to be throwing around! And you're doing medicine?! Bloody hell! More Adventurous even showed you the efficacy as stated on the drug label. Most NORMAL methods of contraception aren't 99.9%. Why did you think it was so effective? It's really not - you can't claim that everyone who got pregnant after taking it in the allotted time just didn't do it right, if I remember correctly Levonelle (and a couple of other brands too) is one step now, you just take the pill and you're hot to trot.
Crazster
Learn probability.
98% as has been stated above. Good luck, but splitting condoms if put on right is...
Read on exactly how to do it!
98% as has been stated above. Good luck, but splitting condoms if put on right is...
Read on exactly how to do it!
It's 95% effective if taken within 24 hours... that first figure was just a guess.
Ya. Bit worrying that a medical student would pop up and say that 
And OP if my memory serves me correctly you are not at the most fertile stage in your cycle - this occurs around a fortnight before you start bleeding - but that model does rely on you having a very regular cycle which lots of young people don't. I would get a couple of early response pregnancy tests ready for next week as the morning after pill will often mess up your bleeding, so that you may come on either early or late and neither will necessary indicate pregnancy. So better to do a test as soon as it's possible to tell. You can have a coil fitted in the first [two weeks]* after an incident like this if the morning after pill fails, which will cause your uterine lining to be completely shed, along with any fertilised and/or implanted eggs. If you're worried about coordinating it all, go and have a chat with your GP or GUM clinic who'll also be able to advise you on backup methods of contraception. Condoms are fairly effective but as you've seen if they split and you've got no safety net, it's pretty stressful!
*Don't quote me on this window, I'm not 100% sure but will read up and update my post in a bit. It's around that sort of time anyway.
And OP if my memory serves me correctly you are not at the most fertile stage in your cycle - this occurs around a fortnight before you start bleeding - but that model does rely on you having a very regular cycle which lots of young people don't. I would get a couple of early response pregnancy tests ready for next week as the morning after pill will often mess up your bleeding, so that you may come on either early or late and neither will necessary indicate pregnancy. So better to do a test as soon as it's possible to tell. You can have a coil fitted in the first [two weeks]* after an incident like this if the morning after pill fails, which will cause your uterine lining to be completely shed, along with any fertilised and/or implanted eggs. If you're worried about coordinating it all, go and have a chat with your GP or GUM clinic who'll also be able to advise you on backup methods of contraception. Condoms are fairly effective but as you've seen if they split and you've got no safety net, it's pretty stressful!
*Don't quote me on this window, I'm not 100% sure but will read up and update my post in a bit. It's around that sort of time anyway.
How are these percentages worked out though? Most percentages with regards the efficacy of various methods of contraception are given in terms of what percentage of women will remain non-pregnant if they have sex regularly for a year using only that method of contraception. I would guess that that is what the 95% etc. stats in post no. 4 are.
HOWEVER, since the morning after pill isn't a 'regular' method of contraception, this regular-use-for-a-year statistic probably isn't really the most useful way of expressing its efficacy, so the 99.9% might be correct for the chances of remaining non-pregnant after a single incident.
So, although I am not sure, it could be that you are both right but simply giving statistics for different things.
HOWEVER, since the morning after pill isn't a 'regular' method of contraception, this regular-use-for-a-year statistic probably isn't really the most useful way of expressing its efficacy, so the 99.9% might be correct for the chances of remaining non-pregnant after a single incident.
So, although I am not sure, it could be that you are both right but simply giving statistics for different things.
It's worrying how much wrong information there is in this thread, particularly from people who are telling other people off for being wrong!
The FPA leaflet about the morning after pill is here. I suggest you all read it. It tells you everything you ever need to know.
The IUD which Jennybean was talking about can be used for up to 5 days after unprotected sex. Obviously you need it fitted by a trained doctor, so most people go for the Morning After Pill within 72 hours as that's less invasive/embarrassing/etc.
Pregnancy tests are not going to work until 2 weeks after the incident, so doing one next week will just falsely reassure you.
The FPA leaflet about the morning after pill is here. I suggest you all read it. It tells you everything you ever need to know.
The IUD which Jennybean was talking about can be used for up to 5 days after unprotected sex. Obviously you need it fitted by a trained doctor, so most people go for the Morning After Pill within 72 hours as that's less invasive/embarrassing/etc.
Pregnancy tests are not going to work until 2 weeks after the incident, so doing one next week will just falsely reassure you.
I found this on wikipedia:
Effectiveness of ECPs
The current FDA-approved U.S. product labeling states that levonorgestrel treatment can prevent 89% of expected pregnancies, and that EC (including the Yuzpe method) reduces the risk of pregnancy by at least 75%.[14]
The effectiveness of emergency contraception is expressed as a percentage reduction in pregnancy rate for a single use of EC. An article in American Family Physician explains a 75% effectiveness rate thus:
... these numbers do not translate into a pregnancy rate of 25 percent. Rather, they mean that if 1,000 women have unprotected intercourse in the middle two weeks of their menstrual cycles, approximately 80 will become pregnant. Use of emergency contraceptive pills would reduce this number by 75 percent, to 20 women.[15]
The effectiveness of emergency contraception is highest when taken within 12 hours of intercourse and declines over time.[16][17] The limit of 72 hours is based on a study by the World Health Organization (WHO).[7] A subsequent WHO study has suggested that reasonable effectiveness continues for up to 120 hours (5 days) after intercourse.[18] However, many doctors (particularly in the U.K.) advise use of an IUD rather than ECP's for emergency contraception between 72 and 120 hours.
Uncertainties in calculation
The original method of calculating the failure rate of EC was to divide the number of observed pregnancies by the number of women treated. Typically, fewer than 1 in 100 women in these studies became pregnant, resulting in published effectiveness rates of 99%. However, a 1980 paper first used an alternate method: observed pregnancies were divided by the estimated number of women who would have become pregnant without the treatment.[19] This method was seen as more useful and quickly gained popularity; it is used in all studies of ECPs today.
Studies of emergency contraception have found widely varying results: 55%-94% effectiveness rates have been reported for the Yuzpe method.[15] Levonorgestrel is more effective than Yuzpe by 36%[15]-49%.[20]
Placebo-controlled trials that could give a precise measure of effectiveness for EC would be unethical, so the effectiveness percentage is estimated. This is currently done using variants of the calendar method.[21] Women with irregular cycles for any reason (including recent hormone use such as oral contraceptives and breastfeeding) must be excluded from such calculations. Even for women included in the calculation, the limitations of calendar methods of fertility determination have long been recognized. Recently, hormonal assay has been suggested as a more accurate method of estimating fertility for EC studies.[22]
Effectiveness of ECPs
The current FDA-approved U.S. product labeling states that levonorgestrel treatment can prevent 89% of expected pregnancies, and that EC (including the Yuzpe method) reduces the risk of pregnancy by at least 75%.[14]
The effectiveness of emergency contraception is expressed as a percentage reduction in pregnancy rate for a single use of EC. An article in American Family Physician explains a 75% effectiveness rate thus:
... these numbers do not translate into a pregnancy rate of 25 percent. Rather, they mean that if 1,000 women have unprotected intercourse in the middle two weeks of their menstrual cycles, approximately 80 will become pregnant. Use of emergency contraceptive pills would reduce this number by 75 percent, to 20 women.[15]
The effectiveness of emergency contraception is highest when taken within 12 hours of intercourse and declines over time.[16][17] The limit of 72 hours is based on a study by the World Health Organization (WHO).[7] A subsequent WHO study has suggested that reasonable effectiveness continues for up to 120 hours (5 days) after intercourse.[18] However, many doctors (particularly in the U.K.) advise use of an IUD rather than ECP's for emergency contraception between 72 and 120 hours.
Uncertainties in calculation
The original method of calculating the failure rate of EC was to divide the number of observed pregnancies by the number of women treated. Typically, fewer than 1 in 100 women in these studies became pregnant, resulting in published effectiveness rates of 99%. However, a 1980 paper first used an alternate method: observed pregnancies were divided by the estimated number of women who would have become pregnant without the treatment.[19] This method was seen as more useful and quickly gained popularity; it is used in all studies of ECPs today.
Studies of emergency contraception have found widely varying results: 55%-94% effectiveness rates have been reported for the Yuzpe method.[15] Levonorgestrel is more effective than Yuzpe by 36%[15]-49%.[20]
Placebo-controlled trials that could give a precise measure of effectiveness for EC would be unethical, so the effectiveness percentage is estimated. This is currently done using variants of the calendar method.[21] Women with irregular cycles for any reason (including recent hormone use such as oral contraceptives and breastfeeding) must be excluded from such calculations. Even for women included in the calculation, the limitations of calendar methods of fertility determination have long been recognized. Recently, hormonal assay has been suggested as a more accurate method of estimating fertility for EC studies.[22]
Alexander
How are these percentages worked out though? Most percentages with regards the efficacy of various methods of contraception are given in terms of what percentage of women will remain non-pregnant if they have sex regularly for a year using only that method of contraception. I would guess that that is what the 95% etc. stats in post no. 4 are.
HOWEVER, since the morning after pill isn't a 'regular' method of contraception, this regular-use-for-a-year statistic probably isn't really the most useful way of expressing its efficacy, so the 99.9% might be correct for the chances of remaining non-pregnant after a single incident.
So, although I am not sure, it could be that you are both right but simply giving statistics for different things.
HOWEVER, since the morning after pill isn't a 'regular' method of contraception, this regular-use-for-a-year statistic probably isn't really the most useful way of expressing its efficacy, so the 99.9% might be correct for the chances of remaining non-pregnant after a single incident.
So, although I am not sure, it could be that you are both right but simply giving statistics for different things.
Why would the Levonelle site give the statistic for "regular" use when it's not, as you said, a regular method of contraception? Don't be silly. It's a single use contraception, so any statistic given is obviously for the efficacy of a single use.
And why on earth would they say that it's 95% effective if it's actually 99.9% effective? If anything, the makers of a pill are going to overstate the efficacy of said pill, not understate it. They're trying to MAKE money, not lose it...
Juno
It's worrying how much wrong information there is in this thread, particularly from people who are telling other people off for being wrong!
Pregnancy tests are not going to work until 2 weeks after the incident, so doing one next week will just falsely reassure you.
Pregnancy tests are not going to work until 2 weeks after the incident, so doing one next week will just falsely reassure you.
But More Adventurous was right - she quoted the exact statistics which feature in your link? Don't know who you mean if not us two.
The pregnancy test I mentioned was specifically the First Response one, not a chemist's bog standard, which can be used up to four days before your period is due as it is extra sensitive. It will certainly give you a result next week. Here's the link:
http://www.firstresponse.com/products/earlyResult.asp
i had the same problem u must get it as soon as possible 4 it 2 do the job best
Jennybean
But More Adventurous was right - she quoted the exact statistics which feature in your link? Don't know who you mean if not us two.
The pregnancy test I mentioned was specifically the First Response one, not a chemist's bog standard, which can be used up to four days before your period is due as it is extra sensitive. It will certainly give you a result next week. Here's the link:
http://www.firstresponse.com/products/earlyResult.asp
The pregnancy test I mentioned was specifically the First Response one, not a chemist's bog standard, which can be used up to four days before your period is due as it is extra sensitive. It will certainly give you a result next week. Here's the link:
http://www.firstresponse.com/products/earlyResult.asp
But since she's due on in 6 days, that leaves 2 days for enough hormones to be produced for the test to work, which isn't gonna be enough
Jennybean
Ya. Bit worrying that a medical student would pop up and say that
And OP if my memory serves me correctly you are not at the most fertile stage in your cycle - this occurs around a fortnight before you start bleeding - but that model does rely on you having a very regular cycle which lots of young people don't. I would get a couple of early response pregnancy tests ready for next week as the morning after pill will often mess up your bleeding, so that you may come on either early or late and neither will necessary indicate pregnancy. So better to do a test as soon as it's possible to tell. You can have a coil fitted in the first [two weeks]* after an incident like this if the morning after pill fails, which will cause your uterine lining to be completely shed, along with any fertilised and/or implanted eggs. If you're worried about coordinating it all, go and have a chat with your GP or GUM clinic who'll also be able to advise you on backup methods of contraception. Condoms are fairly effective but as you've seen if they split and you've got no safety net, it's pretty stressful!
*Don't quote me on this window, I'm not 100% sure but will read up and update my post in a bit. It's around that sort of time anyway.
And OP if my memory serves me correctly you are not at the most fertile stage in your cycle - this occurs around a fortnight before you start bleeding - but that model does rely on you having a very regular cycle which lots of young people don't. I would get a couple of early response pregnancy tests ready for next week as the morning after pill will often mess up your bleeding, so that you may come on either early or late and neither will necessary indicate pregnancy. So better to do a test as soon as it's possible to tell. You can have a coil fitted in the first [two weeks]* after an incident like this if the morning after pill fails, which will cause your uterine lining to be completely shed, along with any fertilised and/or implanted eggs. If you're worried about coordinating it all, go and have a chat with your GP or GUM clinic who'll also be able to advise you on backup methods of contraception. Condoms are fairly effective but as you've seen if they split and you've got no safety net, it's pretty stressful!
*Don't quote me on this window, I'm not 100% sure but will read up and update my post in a bit. It's around that sort of time anyway.
Yes you are right, the most likely time a woman will ovulate is 14 days before her period.
That is why women who are waiting to test to see if they are pregnant have to go through the "two week wait". (been there many a time, done that, bought the dratted t-shirt lol).
It does assume, though, that the woman's cycle is regular, and roughly a 28 day cycle. Many women have irregular cycles though, so this the above info shouldn't be totally depended on.
more adventurous
Why would the Levonelle site give the statistic for "regular" use when it's not, as you said, a regular method of contraception? Don't be silly. It's a single use contraception, so any statistic given is obviously for the efficacy of a single use.
Well, in that case, the "58% if taken between 49-72 hours" efficacy rate would mean a rather higher conception rate than with normal unprotected sex without taking the morning after pill! Which patently can't be the case, as I'm sure you agree.
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