Did you know that the morning-after pill should only be used in emergency situations? Continuous use of the pill can pose health risks.
The morning-after pill is an emergency contraceptive, it is likely that you have already heard of it, or at least used the method. The pill has large percentages of hormones whose main objective is to prevent unwanted pregnancy.
The pills act in two ways, depending on whether the woman has already ovulated or not. If ovulation has not occurred, the pill delays the fertile period. If ovulation has already occurred, it causes the endometrium to desquamate, which causes menstruation to occur soon after and ends the possibility of the embryo implanting.
The problem is that some women have been using the pill incorrectly, taking it frequently. And this irregular consumption can seriously affect a woman’s body as the pill was not created to be ingested in this way.
Risks of taking the morning-after pill continuously
As we have already said, the concentration of hormones in the pill is very high. To give you an idea, it has between 6 and 20 times more hormones than the common pill. This exaggerated amount of hormones has side effects, of course, and can even cause damage to the woman’s body.
Furthermore, its continued use reduces its effect, as the body ends up getting used to the pill. Which can have the opposite effect for those who don’t want to get pregnant.
This is why the morning-after pill should only be used in emergency cases, when something goes wrong. For example, if the condom breaks, if you forgot to take the pill and had sex that day and also in cases of sexual violence.
This way the pill fulfills its role effectively and you do not run any health risks.
Questions about the morning after pill
1 – Does the pill really cause side effects?
As we said above, the pill is a hormone bomb. You know that pack of contraceptive pills? It’s as if half the pack was in a single pill and of course this has side effects. In addition to deregulating the menstrual cycle, it can cause headaches, breast pain, dizziness and vomiting. In fact, if vomiting occurs 2 hours after ingestion, you need to repeat the dose of the pill.
2 – Is the pill really effective?
The pill has a percentage of effectiveness. In the first 12 hours the chance of success is 95%. After 24 hours, the effectiveness drops to 85% and after 48 hours the chance of fulfilling its role is less than 55%. This is why it is recommended to take it as quickly as possible, within a maximum of 72 hours, but the effectiveness is never 100% and that is why it is recommended to always use a contraceptive method regularly.
3 – How often should I take it?
As we have already explained, the morning-after pill is an emergency and should only be taken in emergency situations. Ideally, it should be used once a year and no more than that.
The problem is that there are women who take the pill 3 times in a single month. This completely deregulates the menstrual cycle and leaves the woman completely lost about her own body.
And it’s important to remember that if your cycle is disrupted and you no longer know when you’re going to menstruate, you also don’t know when your fertile period is and this considerably increases your chances of getting pregnant. Therefore, the ideal is to take the pill only when necessary.
4 – Does the morning-after pill cause an ectopic pregnancy?
Ectopic pregnancy occurs when the embryo is outside the uterus. It turns out that the pill reduces the movement of the tubes, which are the organ responsible for sending the fertilized egg to the uterus and in fact, the pill can interfere with this. However, it should be noted that the most common cause of ectopic pregnancy is changes in the tubes caused by an infection or inflammation.
And as the effectiveness of the morning-after pill is not 100%, even after taking it you need to pay attention to your period. And if it doesn’t come down, it’s worth taking a pregnancy test. If it is positive, the ultrasound will show that the egg is in the correct location.
5 – If a woman gets pregnant despite taking the pill, could the baby have any problems?
No, there is a risk that the pill will affect the baby. If the egg has been fertilized and moved to the uterus, there will be no risk to the baby. The pill is not an abortifacient and has not been linked to any case of fetal anomaly.
6 – If I take the morning-after pill and still use regular contraceptives, is there a problem?
We already told you that the morning-after pill is a real hormone bomb, equivalent to half a pack of common contraceptives. Now imagine how difficult it would be for your body to deal with the hormones from the morning-after pill and even those from the regular pill?
This would certainly cause great confusion in the body. Confusion that must be avoided at all costs. Therefore, the ideal is to use an ideal and effective contraceptive method for you and resort to the morning-after pill only, and ONLY in emergency situations.
7 – Are there any contraindications to using the morning-after pill?
The same contraindications for the common pill apply to the morning-after pill. In this case, for patients who have a history or risk of thrombosis.
Did you like this article? Then you’ll also like this: Morning-after pill: 10 truths every woman should know.
Source: Gineco, Super Interesting.
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