Summary
The best time to take the emergency contraceptive pill (also known as the Morning-after pill), is within 72 hours (3 days) of having unprotected sex. It is also taken in case of failure of your regular method of birth control. If taken after 3 days of having unprotected sex, the pill may not work at all. Please note that the emergency contraceptive pill has a failure rate of 10-18% even if taken on time! This means that even if you take the pill within 72 hours, you still have a small chance of getting pregnant.1
More information
The ECP available in India is made of Levonorgestrel. The i-pill and Unwanted72 are some common brands in India. In the US, it is commonly known by the brand name of Plan B One Step. The ECP is taken within 72 hours (or 3 days) after unprotected sex, or failure of your regular method of contraception.1 If you end-up not having taken an ECP after 72 hours but 120 hours (5 days) have not yet passed, the Copper-T IUD is a good option. You can visit a healthcare centre where a doctor or nurse can insert a copper-T after evaluating you.2
Levonorgestrel can prevent pregnancy by preventing fertilisation and works differently based on where you are in your menstrual cycle. If you have not yet ovulated, it prevents the release of an egg from your ovaries. In case you have already ovulated, these pills create a hostile environment in the uterus with respect to fertilisation and implantation.3 If your weight is above 74 kg, the emergency contraceptive pill may not work as effectively. In such a case, you can speak to your doctor about using an IUD.
One thing to note is that sometimes you may require another dose a few hours after the first one- but if that’s the case, it will be mentioned on the pack. Most (almost all) brands do not require this and are usually just one dose. Do not take any extra doses as that will not provide you any extra protection and instead will leave you with a lot of side effects. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you vomit or have diarrhea within 3 hours of taking the pill, you must take it again.4 Also, please do not try to take the emergency contraceptive pill as a replacement for long term and more regular methods of contraception like condoms, IUDs, birth control pills and so on.
Finally, please remember that the emergency contraceptive pill does not help you terminate a pregnancy if you have already conceived. It is only to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex but before you actually get pregnant. It cannot be used as an abortion pill.
