Why Emergency Contraception Was the Right Birth Control Choice for Me
Accidents happen. And if the condom broke or you missed a dose of your birth control pill, those accidents can have much bigger consequences than others. But you don't have to stress, get anxious, or straight up panic after a birth control mishap. This is where emergency contraception comes in if parenthood isn't in your five-year (or, yikes, nine-month) plan.
Now as easy to purchase as your average cold medicine (finally!), the “morning-after pill,” which is available at most pharmacies and can also be ordered online, works by preventing or delaying ovulation. It's not an abortion pill. If an egg has already been fertilized, emergency contraception won’t do anything. If used within 72 hours of contraception failure (like a broken condom) or unprotected sex, it’s about 80% effective. (Worth noting: There is evidence that E.C. has a higher failure rate in women who weigh more than 175 pounds. But doctors say there's not enough evidence to suggest you shouldn't still take it.)
Here, two women share why they reached for emergency contraception when their usual birth control didn't quite cut it.
“When the condom broke, there was nothing to prevent a pregnancy.”
“When my boyfriend’s condom broke a few years ago, I freaked the eff out. It was the first time anything like that had happened to me, so I knew little about my options. Google came to the rescue, and my boyfriend went to buy emergency contraception while I stayed home in a total panic. I wasn't on birth control, so when the condom broke, there was nothing to prevent a pregnancy.
“I had researched the side effects before I took the pills, which nervous people like me should never do, and hunkered down waiting for stomach pains, headaches, and mood swings to hit—but they never did. In fact, I felt so good afterward—I was energized, and my mood was super elevated—that my gynecologist referred me to an endocrinologist, who discovered that years of anxiety, PMS, and period irregularity were caused by a hormonal imbalance. Go figure.” —Kim G.
“I wasn’t ready to have children.”
“I've taken various birth control pills for almost a decade. In that whole time, I haven't had a single period—not one day of bleeding. Every doctor I saw has suggested trying a different type of pill, but it doesn't make a difference. So I was worried that I could unintentionally become pregnant and, without the major indicator of a missed period, not realize it.
“As a result, if I have sex and then something happens that might affect my birth control pill's effectiveness—I was late taking it, or I was sick and vomited, for example—I would take the emergency contraceptive pill. Better safe than sorry. I wasn't ready to have children in the past—and am still not ready now! I've used emergency contraception at least 10 times in the last decade.
“Before taking the morning-after pill, I tend to feel anxious and worried about the possibility of an unplanned pregnancy. Afterward, I feel relieved. I'm grateful to live somewhere where I have access. The nausea and vomiting have never affected me. I always feel fine after I take the pill—if not better than I did before I took it, actually, knowing that an unexpected pregnancy is not in my future.” —Melinda S.
Originally Appeared on Glamour
