Or You May Have Other Changes To Your Cycle
A slight delay is not the only thing that can happen to your period after taking the morning after pill. “You may also see unpredictable spotting before the actual menstrual cycle,” Dr. Bolt says. “The point is, not to worry if there are abnormalities in your cycle following the morning after pill. You should expect menstrual fluctuations and with time, the cycle should normalize again. If you do not have a menstrual cycle within 3 weeks of taking the morning after pill, take a pregnancy test.”Spotting, or breakthrough bleeding, is a really common side effect with non-emergency birth control as well. Just keep an eye on it and you should be quite alright.
Dr. Philip Chenette, member of Progyny’s Medical Advisory Board, tells Bustle that “ten percent of women experience an unusual menstrual flow after using Plan B.” So, bleeding or not, you’re likely in the clear.
Are There Risks Of Getting Pregnant When You’re Having Your Period
Avoiding pregnancy is not as simple as waiting to have sex on your period. If you do want to plan sex for when you are less likely to get pregnant then it is not so simple.
Find out why you’re still at risk of getting pregnant on your period and what you can do to get protected.
Last reviewed: 29/10/2019 by Dr Simran Deo
Contents
Q: How Does The Copper Iud Work As An Emergency Contraceptive
A: Its the most effective form of emergency contraceptive. It causes an inflammatory reaction in the uterus, so it creates an unfavorable environment for sperm and for implantation to occur.
The one big differencewith the IUD is that it could disrupt a good pregnancy. If a woman is consideringa copper IUD and has had abnormal periods, she should make sure to do apregnancy test first.
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How To Use Plan B
Generally women who can safely take the birth control pill can also use Plan B. Plan B comes in a pill form and can be accessed through a community pharmacy or one of Peel Public Health’s Healthy Sexuality Clinics.
To prevent a pregnancy you must start Plan B within 72 hours after having unprotected intercourse. The sooner you begin Plan B following unprotected vaginal sex, the more likely you will be able to avoid an unwanted pregnancy.
You should use Plan B if:
- The condom broke or slipped.
- You used withdrawal or no contraception at all.
- You missed some birth control pills and didn’t use a condom as backup protection.
- Your Depo Provera injection was late .
- You applied your Patch late or it fell off.
- Your vaginal ring slipped out or you were late replacing your ring.
My Girlfriend Took Plan B Three Times In One Month When Will She Get Her Next Period
my girlfriend took plan b three times in one month, when will be the next time she gets her period?
Theres no way to know exactly when your girlfriend will get her period, because that depends on her body and her menstrual cycle. Taking Plan B can temporarily change someones menstrual cycle, so your girlfriends period will probably be different for at least a month.
Theres nothing harmful or dangerous about using the morning-after pill as often as needed. But its not the best method to use on a regular basis, because it doesnt work as well as other types of birth control .
If you can, try to use a regular form of birth control whenever you have penis-in-vagina sex to prevent pregnancy. And dont forget to protect yourself and your partner from STDs, too condoms are the only type of birth control that also prevents STDs. If you use a condom plus another method of birth control like the pill, patch, ring, shot, implant, or IUD sex will be a lot safer and you wont need to rely on Plan B.
Learn more about different birth control methods here.
Tags:periods, emergency contraception, morning after pill, plan b
Planned Parenthood delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of people worldwide. Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. is a registered 501 nonprofit under EIN 13-1644147. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable under the law.
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If The Test Is Positive
If your pregnancy test is positive, its still a good idea to see your doctor to confirm the results. Its also an opportunity to begin a discussion about your options. If youre pregnant and want to continue the pregnancy, youll be able to get started on prenatal care right away.
If you decide that you dont want to continue with the pregnancy, your doctor can explain the different types of abortion available to you.
Alternatively, you can contact the nearest Planned Parenthood clinic to learn more. Legal options vary depending on where you live. The Guttmacher Institute provides the latest information about abortion laws in each state.
Plan B is an OTC medication. You can get it at most drugstores without seeing a doctor or getting a prescription.
What To Expect After Taking Plan B
There are some potential side effects of taking the Plan B pill. Side effects are usually most significant in the 12 days after taking the pill and should subside after that.
A primary consequence of taking the pill is that the next period may be different regarding timing, flow, and side effects.
If a persons period is more than a week late, they should take a pregnancy test to ensure that they are not pregnant.
It is essential to understand that taking the Plan B pill does not protect people from sexually transmitted infections .
Taking Plan B can cause side effects in some people due to the elevated hormone levels in the body.
Typical side effects may include:
- breast tenderness
Read Also: How To Stop Your Period Right Away
Your Endometrial Lining Might Change
Levonorgestrel may sound like the name of a spell, but it’s basically just a form or progestin . And progestin is a synthetic that acts similarly to the naturally-occurring progesterone .
” side effect of taking this progesterone hormone is that it may affect implantation, which is a bonus as an emergency contraceptive.”Dr. Sheila Loanzon, MD tells Bustle. This works because Plan B changes the lining of the endometrium, Dr. Loanzon says, which also contributes to preventing pregnancy.
You Won’t Have Terminated A Pregnancy
This is crucial. If you take Plan B, you won’t be ending a pregnancy. “Plan B is not the same as an abortion,” Sonia Patel, Pharm.D., Chief Pharmacist at Capsule tells Bustle. “An abortion, whether through medicine or a procedure, refers to terminating a pregnancy by detaching a fertilized egg from your uterine lining. Plan Bââ¬â¢s main aim is to prevent that fertilization from happening in the first place. To reiterate, Plan B won’t work if you’re already pregnant.” This means that if you happen to have already gotten pregnant, you’ll need to see a doctor and explore other options. And if you’re not, you’ll likely stay that way.
Also Check: Can You Still Be Pregnant If You Have Your Period
If Your Cycle Is Altered By Plan B How Will You Know That You’re Not Pregnant
Experiencing vaginal bleeding after taking Plan B could be a sign that you aren’t pregnant. “You may experience bleeding similar to a period after taking Plan B, which may indicate that fertilization has not occurred,” notes Kakani.
Your cycle should also go back to normal soon. Most of the changes caused by emergency contraceptives like Plan B do not persist beyond one menstrual cycle.
If your period is over a week late after you’ve taken Plan B, there’s a chance that you may be pregnant, so consider taking a pregnancy test.
How Do I Know If Im Protected From Pregnancy
The only way to get protection from pregnancy is if youre using a reliable form of contraception.
You can get pregnant even if:
- Its your first time having sex
- You have sex at any time during the month including while on your period
- The man pulls out before ejaculation
- You havent started your periods
- You dont have an orgasm
Contraception is effective to prevent against pregnancy to prevent yourself from getting pregnant you should use contraception. There is a small risk of pregnancy even if you take precautions. For example, the 99% effectiveness of the combined oral contraceptive pill means that 1 in 100 women can still get pregnant while taking it. Therefore, it is always a good idea to use a combination of precautions such as the pill and the condom for example.
Even if you do use protection you still cant know for sure that you’re not pregnant. You should pay attention to how regular your period is and check for signs of pregnancy to be sure.
Read Also: How Many Days Before And After Period Is Safe
How Do I Know If Plan B Worked
Youll know if your emergency contraception worked when you get your next period, which could come within a week of when you expect. Your period may be heavier, lighter, earlier, or later than usual. EC pills can also cause some irregular bleeding or spotting afterward.
If you dont get your period within three weeks after taking EC, take a pregnancy test. And if your period is more than a week late, you should also take a pregnancy test.
Sometimes You Need A Plan B
Plan B® is the #1 physician- and pharmacist-recommended brand* of emergency contraceptive in Canada. If your question about Plan B® is not answered in the list below, speak to your healthcare professional for more information.
You can get pregnant at any time during your monthly cyclefrom the start of one period to the beginning of the next. Although people talk about a safe time of the month, its hard to tell when this is, for many reasons. Your most fertile time of the month is when youre ovulating , but most women arent aware when this is happening. Also, it takes several days for an egg to make its way from the ovary down the fallopian tube, and an egg can be fertilized at any point during this journey. Sperm can survive in a womans body for up to seven days, so even if you hadnt ovulated when you had sex, the sperm could still fertilize the egg sometime afterwards.
Many women dont have regular periods. The time between your periods can vary, depending on whats happening in your life, whether youre stressed, and whether or not youre eating properly. This makes it even more difficult to calculate your safe time.
When accidents happen, such as a condom breaking, and you dont want to get pregnant, emergency contraception is there as a plan B. Its not something you should use regularly, and you should never think of it as an alternative to a long-term method of birth control.
Recommended Reading: My Period Is 5 Days Late Am I Pregnant
What Is Emergency Contraception
The Office on Women’s Health says that the FDA first approved emergency contraceptive pills in 1998. The easiest way to explain Plan B is to compare it to its closest cousin: birth control pills.
Just like hormonal birth control, Plan B prevents a woman from getting pregnant after unprotected sex by:
- Stopping the ovary from releasing an egg
- Blocking sperm from reaching the egg if it’s already been released
Plan B just has a higher dose of hormones than birth control pills. Doctors say it shouldn’t be used as a regular form of birth control.
You might know Plan B as the “morning-after pill” that goes by a few names: Plan B One-Step, Take Action, My Way, ella and more.
Is Plan B the same as the abortion pill? It’s crucial to note that Plan B is not an abortion pill. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that emergency contraception only works before pregnancy officially begins. If the egg and sperm have already met, fertilized, and implanted into the uterus lining, it’s pretty much a done deal. Just like hormonal birth control, it helps prevent pregnancy before it starts.
When researchers studied high-dose birth control pills, they found no risk to a developing embryo if the pregnancy had already begun. This means that if you still get pregnant even after Plan B, you don’t have to worry that the actual Plan B medication would harm the pregnancy.
Plan B Is For Emergencies Only
You shouldnt use Plan B as your regular method of birth control.
Speak to a health care professional about choosing a birth control method thats right for you.
In certain situations, you may be offered Plan B to use at a later date.
If you get Plan B in advance, remember to:
- Store it in a safe place away from children.
- Check the expiry date before using it.
- Follow the instructions carefully for taking it.
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Waiting Games: How Long Can The Morning After Pill Delay Your Period
If youre staring at the clock waiting for your period to show up, we feel you.
Even though EC can cause your period to come at any time from a week early to a week late, everyones different. Its possible that it can take even longer for your flow to return. But after about 2 weeks, the chance youre actually pregnant goes up.
Whats to blame for the delay? That extra-strong dose of levonorgestrel . Though some hormonal birth control pills also contain levonorgestrel to prevent pregnancy, the morning after pill has it in much higher quantities. This can do a number on your menstrual cycle, including delaying your period.
In a 2007 study, researchers found that about 15 percent of participants who took Plan B experienced significant changes in menstrual cycle length, period length, and menstrual appearance.
Heres what might happen when you get your flow back.
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 O’Connell 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.
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