The Morning-After Pill (MAP)

The most common brand of morning-after pill sold in the United States is called Plan B®.  It is reported to work within 72 hours after sex and can lower your chance of pregnancy by up to 89%.

There are things you should consider before you take this drug.  Although it is advertised as safe and effective, it is good to know all the facts before you take it. 

Plan B® is an extremely high dosage of chemical hormones. 
It contains the same chemical hormones found in some types of birth control but at a dose several times stronger.

And  you may not even need it.  You can only get pregnant on certain days of the month – around the time that you ovulate.  Typically, there are only about three to five days a month in which a woman can get pregnant. Many women looking for the morning-after pill weren’t fertile when they had sex because they were not near their time of ovulation. In that case there is no reason to take the drug.  It will only subject them to the possible side effects for no reason.

Only eight out of one hundred women will become pregnant after a single act of intercourse during the time of ovulation.

Women who are considering Plan B® do not always know where they are in their cycle or if they are fertile, so they spend money on a drug that they don’t need and that may harm their bodies.   

Women who have a known or suspected pregnancy should not take the pills, according to the manufacturers of Plan B®. 

Have you taken a pregnancy test?  Call us at 309-797-3636 or 563-386-3737 to schedule a free pregnancy test.

Know the Risks Associated with the Morning-After Pill

Plan B® is a relatively new drug, and as a result there has not been much testing on its effect on the body.  Some of the commonly reported side effects are nausea, abdominal pain, tiredness, headache, menstrual changes, dizziness, breast tenderness, and vomiting.ii  After taking Plan B® it is not uncommon to have an irregular period.iii  This could mean heavier bleeding, lighter bleeding, or a delayed period.iv  It can take time before your body will go back to normal and stabilize itself.

Women who have diabetes should be monitored while taking Plan B,v and women with pelvic inflammatory disease should not take Plan B, except under a physician’s careful monitoring.vi  Unfortunately, a lot of women don’t know if they have diabetes (vii) and/or don’t know if they have pelvic inflammatory disease.  

After taking Plan B® there is also an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy.viii  An ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that is occurring anywhere outside of the uterus.  The most common type of ectopic pregnancy is sometimes referred to as a tubal pregnancy because it is one that is occurring in the woman’s fallopian tube.  If this goes unnoticed, a woman could be at serious risk.  Even a small delay in diagnosing an ectopic pregnancy can be fatal.ix

Plan B® does not protect against HIV infection (AIDS) or other sexually transmitted diseases.x  It is generally recommended that any sexually active woman seek testing for sexually transmitted diseases.

Another major problem concerning Plan B® is the effect it could have if you are already pregnant.  A woman may have unprotected sex with her partner and use the morning-after pill; however, when she takes Plan B® she may be pregnant from a previous time she had sex.  Women who have a known or suspected pregnancy should not take the pills, according to the manufacturers of Plan B®.xi 

Have you taken a pregnancy test?  Call us at 309-797-3636 or 563-386-3737 to schedule a free pregnancy test.

Learn How the Morning After Pill Works

Many women don’t know how Plan B® works.  Plan B® works in one of three ways, and the difference depends upon where the woman is in her cycle.  If she has not yet ovulated, taking Plan B® can work as a contraceptive and suppress ovulation.

If she has ovulated, it can prevent the sperm from coming into contact with the egg.

The last way in which Plan B® may work is a little more complicated.  Conception or fertilization is the term used when the sperm joins the egg.  When this happens, human life has begun.  The embryo moves through the fallopian tube and implants in the uterus about a week later.  If Plan B® iis taken after an egg has been fertilized it may not allow the embryo to implant in the uterus.xii  This would be a very early abortion.  

i Plan B® package insert. “Clinical Studies.” Package insert available at
http://www.go2planb.com/section/prescribing_info/index.html (Accessed on August 25, 2006).
ii Plan B® package insert. “Adverse Reactions.” Package insert available at
http://www.go2planb.com/section/prescribing_info/index.html (Accessed on August 25, 2006).
iii Plan B® package insert. “Effects on Menses.” Package insert available at
http://www.go2planb.com/section/prescribing_info/index.html (Accessed on August 25, 2006).
iv Plan B® package insert. “Effect on Menses.” Package insert available at
http://www.go2planb.com/section/prescribing_info/index.html (Accessed on August 25, 2006).
v Plan B® package insert. “Carbohydrate Metabolism.” Package insert available at
http://www.go2planb.com/section/prescribing_info/index.html (Accessed on August 25, 2006).
vi Letter to Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, M.D., Acting Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration from Dr. Elizabeth Shadigian, M.D., President of the American Association of Pro Life
Obstetricians and Gynecologists. August 15, 2006.
vii “Diabetes and Women’s Health Across the Stages: A Public Health Prespective.” Message from Frank
Vinicor, MD, MPH, Director, CDC Diabetes Program.
http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/pdf/womenshort.pdf (Accessed on August 28, 2006).
viii “A Communication to All Doctors from the Chief Medical Officer,” Chief Medical Officer Update No.
35, U.K. Department of Health, January 2003. Available at
http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/06/54/58/04065458.pdf (Accessed April 23, 2004). See, also the
August 15, 2006 letter from the American Association of Pro Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists which
also notes this increased rate of ectopic pregnancies with the use of Plan B® available at
http://www.aaplog.org/newslettertofdaplanb.htm (Accessed August 25, 2006).
ix Letter to Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, M.D., Acting Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration from Dr. Elizabeth Shadigian, M.D., President of the American Association of Pro Life
Obstetricians and Gynecologists. August 15, 2006. Available at
http://www.aaplog.org/newslettertofdaplanb.htm (Accessed August 25, 2006).
x Plan B® package insert. “STD/HIV.” Package insert available at
http://www.go2planb.com/section/prescribing_info/index.html (Accessed on August 25, 2006).
xi Plan B® package insert. “Contraindications.” Package insert available at
http://www.go2planb.com/section/prescribing_info/index.html (Accessed on August 25, 2006).
xii Plan B® website. “How Plan B Works.”
http://www.go2planb.com/ForConsumers/AboutPlanB/HowItWorks.aspx. (Accessed on August 25,
2006).

Information above cited from the following sources:
http://www.pregnancycenters.org/map.html ; "The morning after pill" brochure, CareNet, Sterling VA