What is Emergency Contraception?
Emergency contraception pills help to prevent a pregnancy when taken up to five days after unprotected sex.
They work by preventing or delaying the release of an egg from the ovaries.
A very popular type of emergency contraception involves taking one or two tablets of a particular hormone. This is sometimes called ‘the morning after pill’ or ‘Plan B’.
An intrauterine device (IUD) can also be used as emergency contraception as it can prevent a fertilised egg from settling in the womb.
Emergency contraception works well at preventing a pregnancy after unprotected sex. In general the sooner an emergency contraceptive is used the more effective it is at stopping a pregnancy.