What To Expect Moving Forward
There is no normal or right way to feel after a pregnancy scare. Its totally fine to feel scared, sad, relieved, angry, or all of the above.
No matter how you feel, just remember that your feelings are valid and no one should make you feel bad for having them.
There are ways to avoid another scare in the future.
Side Effects Of Levonorgestrel
Many women have taken emergency contraception without serious complications. But it’s a good idea to ask your doctor about possible interactions with other medications.
Levonorgestrel is considered safe for most women. You should not take it if you are pregnant because it will not end the pregnancy.
Potential side effects of levonorgestrel include:
If you vomit within two hours after taking the drug, call a healthcare professional to find out if you should repeat the dose.
With levonorgestrel, you may also have some unexpected bleeding. It should go away by the time of your next period. However, it is possible that levonorgestrel may cause your next period to be heavier or lighter than usual. It may also come earlier or later than is normal for you. If you don’t get your period within three weeks, get a pregnancy test to make sure you’re not pregnant. Read more on emergency contraception side effects.
Show Sources
FDA: “FDA’s Decision Regarding Plan B: Questions and Answers” and “Plan B and Plan B One-Step Tablets Information.”
The National Women’s Health Information Center: “Emergency Contraception .”
Planned Parenthood: “Emergency Contraception .”
Office of Population Research, Princeton University: “Get Emergency Contraception NOW.”
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: “Plan B One-Step Emergency Contraception.”
News release, FDA.
Myth #: Emergency Contraception Is A Hassle And An Expense So I Can Wait Until I Miss A Period To Take It
Emergency contraception pills work before you get pregnant by delaying ovulation. They dont eliminate a pregnancy after youve conceived. In fact, according to Planned Parenthood, the pill works best when its taken within three days of unprotected intercourse. Ross also notes that it is most effective when taken within 24 hours of having sex.
Plan B pills can be taken as late as five days after intercourse, but their effectiveness is reduced by each delayed day, Planned Parenthood states.
This schedule means that emergency contraception must be taken well before you miss a period.
Fortunately, accessing emergency contraception is easier than many women think. Since 2006, it has been available over the counter for adults, meaning you do not need a doctors prescription to get it.
Plan B is not covered by insurance and generally costs from about $15 to $65 for a tablet, Ross says. Planned Parenthood stresses that all brands and generics contain the exact same active ingredient, so more expensive versions are not better than cheaper ones.
You can buy Plan B at your local pharmacy or you can for overnight delivery. You might want to get one in advance, so you can have it on hand if you need it in the future.
You may also be able to get the pill for free or at a low cost from a Planned Parenthood health center or from your local health department.
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Myth #: I Took A Pregnancy Test A Few Days After The Condom Broke And It Was Negative So I Am Not Pregnant
Home pregnancy tests can be extremely accurate when taken at the right time. But taken so soon after intercourse, theyre unlikely to reveal a pregnancy.
Home pregnancy tests work by measuring the hCG hormone in your urine. Theres generally enough of this hormone for the test to be able to detect pregnancy as early as two days before an expected period, Dr. Taylor says. That means it could take up to two weeks after a condom breaks for a pregnancy test to register as positive.
If a condom was the only form of contraception you were using, turning to emergency contraception a day or two after the condom broke would greatly reduce your odds of pregnancy.
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It Can Be A Long Wait
If youre reading this article, odds are youve taken a morning-after pill and are anxious to learn if youre pregnant. Know that many people have been in your position before you, and understand how you feel. Its normal to feel worried. Try to take care of yourself, and talk to your doctor if you want more information or more help.
Remember: If you took Plan B on time, and are within its recommended weight range, its very effective. Its also worth noting that if you take plan B and still get pregnant, it wont terminate the pregnancy, and it wont harm you or the fetus.15
And remember, emergency contraceptives should only be used in emergencies. If youre sexually active and dont want to get pregnant, we strongly recommend finding a highly effective thats right for you. Uncertainty is stressful, and a highly effective birth control can mean peace of mind no matter what happens.
References
Read Also: Can You Bleed When Pregnant
What Else Should I Know
- Plan B does not protect you from sexually transmitted infections . Always use condoms.
- If you are currently on any form of birth control, continue or restart your birth control on the same day as taking Plan B and use condoms as a back-up for 7 days.
- If you are not using a regular form of birth control, consider starting and talk to your health care provider.
- There are other options for emergency contraception . talk to your healthcare provider for more information.
Teens Have Taken To Social Media Wondering If Some Pregnancy Test Kits Include The Morning
Maressa Brown is a seasoned lifestyle journalist, writer, and astrologer. In addition to being a regular contributor to Parents.com, her bylines appear on InStyle, Shape, What to Expect, Cosmopolitan, et al. She is the author of Raising Baby by the Stars: A New Parents Guide to Astrology and a forthcoming book from Workman.
Finding the over-the-counter pregnancy test that’s right for you can be a daunting chore. After all, the shelves are filled with a crazy number of options, all boasting a variety of high-tech features that promise to deliver advanced accuracy and speed. After dropping $20+ on a kit, you might feel like you’ve basically purchased the pregnancy test equivalent of an iPhone.
But just as pregnancy tests don’t come with USB cables, they don’t include anything else above and beyond a standard kit to test your urineand definitely not a morning-after pill.
Still, kids on the popular video-sharing app TikTok, among other social media sites, have been taking apart pregnancy tests and asking if the moisture-absorbing desiccant tablet is, in fact, Plan B One Step, or the morning-after pill.
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How Soon Can I Take A Pregnancy Test For Accurate Results
The answer to this question depends on the type of test youre taking and your menstrual cycle.Its important to note that there are two kinds of pregnancy tests: blood tests and urine tests . Both types measure a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin that quickly enters the picture after the first few days of a pregnancy.Urine tests are more common than blood, as they can be taken in the comfort of your own home and are usually less expensive. They typically are most accurate three days before your missed period, or two weeks after conception.Conversely, blood tests can detect smaller amounts of hCG in your blood, meaning you can get accurate results earlier .However, while you might be eager to know the result, levels of hCG increase the longer you wait to test.Another thing to consider is that ovulation is not clockwork, and this can affect the time that hCG can be detected.Because of this, the accuracy of pregnancy tests will vary from person to person, which is why we like to take two and wait until the first day of our missed period, just in case.
The Definitive Guide To Pregnancy Tests
Think back to the first time you took pregnancy tests. Were you anxious? Excited? Terrified? Optimistic?
For me, I was in the communal bathroom of my college dorm room crossing my fingers for a negative result. Though I wasnt ready for a baby, I could imagine a different experience for someone who was.Regardless of the result youre hoping for, taking a pregnancy test can be very emotional.Though the little test can be a life changing experience, there is a lack of knowledge surrounding how to take a pregnancy test, what the results mean, and the truth behind facts and myths related to them.Were here to clear things up about the confusion surrounding pregnancy tests.
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How Long After Taking Plan B Should I Take A Pregnancy Test
You can take these morning-after pills up to five days after unprotected sex, but they work much better if you take them during the first three days. Take a pregnancy test if you havent gotten your period within three weeks after taking the morning-after pill.
When Can I Take A Pregnancy Test
All Clearblue® pregnancy tests are clinically proven to be over 99% accurate at detecting pregnancy from the day you expect your period1. However, if you think you might be pregnant, you want to know for sure as soon as possible, and many women want to test earlier than this. The earliest you can test with Clearblue® Early Detection Pregnancy Test is 6 days before your missed period2. Read more about .
Also Check: When To Expect Pregnancy Symptoms
You Dont Take It Soon Enough
Morning-after pills like Plan B and Next Choice are effective if you take them within five days of unprotected sex. The major caveat here is that they work best when taken within 72 hours, then the efficacy starts dropping. Within three days after unprotected sex, these kinds of morning-after pills are between 75 and 89 percent effective at preventing pregnancy, according to Planned Parenthood. The sooner you take it, the better its going to work, Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale Medical School, tells SELF. Although levonorgesterel-based options like Plan B and Next Choice prevent pregnancy up to five days after unprotected sex, think of those first 72 hours as prime time.
Ella, the prescription morning-after pill, is also effective for up to five days after unprotected sex, but its equally as effective the entire time, Katharine OConnell White, M.D., M.P.H., director of fellowship in family planning, Boston University/Boston Medical Center, tells SELF. Ella decreases your risk of getting pregnant by 85 percent if you take it within the appropriate window.
Paragard also needs to be inserted within that five-day window in order to be effective.
Talk To Your Provider About Your Next Steps
When it comes to next steps, there is no right decision. Only you can know what is right for you.
Your healthcare provider is a resource, though. They can help you plan your next steps whether or not you decide to continue with the pregnancy.
If you decide you want an abortion and your doctor doesnt perform the procedure, they may be able to refer you to someone who does.
Take another test in a few days or the following week, just to be sure you didnt take the test too early.
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Myth #: Im Worried Emergency Contraception Might Have Side Effects So Ill Just Cross My Fingers And Hope For The Best
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, emergency contraception is very safe. There have been no reports of serious problems in all of the people who have taken it over the years.
Some women do get a headache or feel nauseated after taking the pill, while a small number might also get tired or dizzy, or experience breast tenderness or abdominal pain. All of these side effects resolve themselves in a short while.
A few medicines do interfere with levonorgestrel emergency contraception and make it less effective, Planned Parenthood points out. These include the antibioticrifampin , certain HIV or anti-seizure medicines, and the herb St. Johns wort. If youre taking any of these and need emergency contraception, talk to your healthcare provider.
Birth Control Pill And Birth Defects
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration , there is no evidence that taking combination birth control pills or progestin-only pills while pregnant will harm your baby in any way, either by increasing the risk of birth defects or causing pregnancy complications.
It is important to note that there has not actually been a lot of research on this subject. This is not because of oversight or lack of interest. Medical ethics would simply not allow anyone to conduct research that may place a mother or her unborn baby in harms way.
As such, most of the data is derived from epidemiological research comparing mothers who have used birth control pills during early pregnancy against those who havent. In this regard, there has been little difference in either the number of birth defects, miscarriage, or stillbirths between either group.
The CDC notes that progestins taken in early pregnancy slightly increase the risk of hypospadias in boys .
The studies leading to this conclusion are older and were mostly of women taking progestins for infertility or to prevent pregnancy loss and not the low doses of progestins seen in todays birth control pills.
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What Is Plan B
Plan B One-Step is a form of emergency contraception taken after a person has engaged in sexual intercourse. Sometimes called the morning after pill, its used to prevent pregnancy after an unprotected sexual encounter or a failure of your chosen method of birth control. This can mean missed doses of your regular birth control pills, a broken condom or a failure to use any type of contraception.
Plan B is one of a number of brands of emergency contraception that can be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, explains Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz, M.D., an OB-GYN and author of the upcoming book Menopause Bootcamp.
While this type of medication was first mentioned in medical literature in the 1960s, it wasnt until 1998 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration first approved a product designed for emergency contraception.
Today, there are several types of emergency contraceptive pills, ranging from over-the-counter progestin-only pills to selective progesterone receptor modulators available only through a prescription.
Is There A Plan B For Pregnancy Tests
No, there is not a Plan B for pregnancy tests. Pregnancy tests work by detecting the presence of the pregnancy hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin in a persons urine or blood. This hormone is produced only in the body when a woman is pregnant. Therefore, when a woman takes a pregnancy test, it is already too late to take action to avoid the pregnancy.
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Where Can I Get Emergency Contraception
For IUDs :
- Call UHS 734-764-8320, select option 2, and request “emergency contraception IUD”
- Learn more about IUDs
Call UHS 734-764-8320, select option 2, and request “ella emergency contraception.” You can also get it in advance .
Without prescription : You can buy it at pharmacies, including the UHS Pharmacy, and other stores that sell medication. It can be purchased by both males and females of any age. There is no limit on the quantity that can be purchased at one time.
If you are under 17 years old, you need a prescription to get EC.
As You Can Tell Pregnancy Tests Have Had Quite The Glow Up
pregnancy-ovulation-test-combo We certainly cant imagine peeing on some grains as a means of finding out youre pregnant. In fact, we cant even imagine going out to the store to buy a pregnancy test today. Thats why we created Stix – the discreet, convenient, and accurate pregnancy test. While pregnancy tests have evolved big time since 1350 BC, Cynthia and I still saw an opportunity for improvement. Cynthia ran into her boyfriends mom in the store while buying a pregnancy test . I had the cashier jokingly wish me good luck when I was buying mine. The nerve! If youve had a similar experience, you know how humiliating it is. For those who havent, we created Stix to ensure you are never a victim of pregnancy test shaming. After doing some research, we found that the public embarrassment of buying a pregnancy test was just the beginning of a long list of problems surrounding womens options. After surveying thousands of women, we found that 70% of them had terrible experiences buying pregnancy tests. Additionally, we observed that drugstores price their tests unnecessarily high. We deserve better. So do you.
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Time For A Brief History Lesson
Let us take you way back to 1350 BC. Essentially, Egyptian women would urinate on bags of barley and wheat each day and wait to see if they grew. If they both grew, it was believed this woman was pregnant. Can you imagine? The patience! Believe it or not, scientists actually found this to be a pretty accurate prediction. If you think peeing on barley and waiting a week for it to sprout is crazy, keep reading. Say hello to Piss Prophets. In the Middle Ages, Europeans believed a woman to be pregnant if her urine did things like change the color of a leaf or rust a nail. Unlike the Egyptians, there wasnt much science to back this logic. In 1937, German scientists discovered that injecting urine into a sexually immature female mouse would cause its ovaries to grow. Crazy, right? This was actually a huge breakthrough as far as the science behind pregnancy tests, as it proved that hCG caused mice to ovulate.
