Pregnancy can also be prevented when it is actually already too late – with the morning-after pill. However, it is important to act quickly. The sooner it is taken after unprotected sexual intercourse, the higher the degree of effectiveness.
What is the “morning-after pill”?
The morning-after pill is a hormone preparation. One or two tablets are taken – depending on the product. The morning-after pill is a hormone preparation. Depending on the product, one or two tablets are taken. The main effect is to prevent or delay ovulation. Fertilization is therefore to be avoided. The “morning-after pill” can be taken up to 72 hours after coitus. If this happens in the first 24 hours, the pregnancy rate is 0.4 percent, but after three days it is already 2.7 percent. Since 2010, there has been a new preparation that can even be taken up to five days after sexual intercourse. Both pills require a prescription in Germany.
Medical use and effect
The “older” morning-after pill contains the hormone levonorgestrel, a progestogen. It inhibits the so-called luteinizing hormone, which triggers monthly ovulation in women. How levonargestrel works beyond this is not fully understood. It is debated whether the drug can also prevent the implantation of an already fertilized egg in the uterine lining – an ethically significant question for many people. What is considered certain, however, is that the high progestin concentration provokes the formation of mucus in the cervix and changes the pH value in the uterine lining. This has consequences for the sperm: Their migration from the vagina to the uterus is impeded and they become less mobile. If pregnancy already exists, taking the morning-after pill (with the active ingredient levongestrel) has no consequences. There is no danger to the unborn child.
Herbal, natural, and pharmaceutical forms and types.
Only a few years on the market is the preparation Ulipristal, baptized by the press “pill for even longer after”. Ulipristal blocks receptors for the corpus luteum hormone (progesterone), which is produced in the ovaries. This also prevents ovulation. This pill can be taken up to five days after sexual intercourse. It is considered to be even safer than levongestrel. However, there is not yet sufficient data collection on effects on existing pregnancy, so this must be ruled out before prescribing. Are there non-chemical alternatives to the morning-after pill? A relatively safe method is for the woman to have a copper IUD (intrauterine device) inserted up to five days after coitus. As a foreign body, the IUD triggers an inflammation of the uterine lining. An egg cell cannot implant. Pregnancy is prevented with a 95 percent probability. The rue herb is sometimes recommended as a natural morning-after pill. It is said to stimulate the body’s release of adrenaline, increasing the permeability of the uterine lining so that a nested egg is rejected. Rue is drunk as a tea infusion or taken as rutin in tablet form. Both of the above alternatives have in common that they do not prevent fertilization. Teas – if they work – have an even later effect and are ideally drunk on the first day of missed menstruation. They consist of two components, for example, polemint and lady’s mantle or cotton plant and snakeweed. They are intended to provoke rejection of the uterine lining, including the implanted egg – so they do not function as a morning-after pill, but aim to induce an early abortion.
Risks and side effects
Side effects of the morning-after pill may include nausea, headache, and lower abdominal pain. Intermittent bleeding is also possible, and menstruation may be delayed for up to a week. Anyone who vomits three hours or sooner after taking the morning-after pill should take another pill. Women who are at risk of ectopic, tubal or abdominal pregnancy should always consult their doctor before taking the morning-after pill. The effect of the contraceptive pill is impaired by the morning-after pill. It is necessary to use additional contraception with condoms. Experts disagree on whether the birth control pill should be taken continuously or discontinued until the next cycle begins.
