Morning After Pill

[Ringo]

My girlfriend took a morning after pill on Monday morning.

When I saw her Wednesday evening she said she'd been a bit emotional. In fact during Wednesday night she went to the bathroom for half an hour for a cry, then came back and pounced on me for hugs and mutual masturbation.

Are emotional reactions such as this common-place with taking a morning after pill? (She's not on her period at the moment, by the way.)

Cheers,

Ringo

[demonbuttercup]

I would imagine so. It's a massive dose of hormones.

How does the postcoital pill work?

The hormones in the PCP may stop an egg from being released. Or they may stop a fertilised egg from implanting itself in the womb.

Common side effects for women who use PCP are nausea, vomiting, headaches, breast tenderness, dizziness, fluid retention and irregular bleeding. These side effects usually disappear after 1-2 days.

These were the most common side effects but like I said, anytime you introduce hormones into the body, your mood is going to change. Maybe she was just emmotional about the fact that she HAD to take a morning after pill. I'm sure the scare of it can be depressing.

[Ringo]

Well, she isn't fond of the idea of kids - she took this despite being on the regular pill. The girl at the chemists even said as she was late it was unlikely anything would have happened, but she took one for safety's sake.

Unfortunately I don't know too much about how they work. I'm no biologist, but I'd welcome input from anyone who does know.

Will be seeing her again tonight, and probably over the weekend too. Just want her to be okay.

Cheers,

Ringo

[demonbuttercup]

so why did your girlfriend take it? she was late taking her regular birth control pill? how late was she?

well it works pretty much the same way as regular BC pills I think. Like that one site said, it stops an egg from being released or if one does get released, it stops it from attaching to the uterus.

Yeah I'm sure w/ the double dose of pills that her hormones and emotions were rampant. add that to the fact of the pregnancy scare and im sure she was upset. Hopefully she'll feel better in a few days when things settle down some. Just take good care of her
Maybe Brandye will have some medical input.

[Brandye]

OK, you refer to the chemist. I assume that, like me, you are in the UK. The other side of the pond that term is not used.

How did she get a morning after pill from the chemist without a prescription? And why, if on the regular pill, would anyone take it? Those of my patients who have used the morning after pill or, even, regular pills approved for use as emergency contraception are not anxious to use it again.

Demon has given you the essential facts. Your girlfriend needs them more than you do. And she needs to find out how these things work. Putting a morning after pill on top of normal oral contraception is a very bad idea and several people screwed up (legally, as well as medically) for her to have done that.

She should get back to her NHS clinic or Planned Parenthood and get educated.

[Ringo]

Thanks for the responses again.

Yes, I am in the UK. She took it because of a split condom.

Have no idea how she got it without a prescription. Didn't realise you'd need one. Surely the point of taking something the morning after is you wouldn't have time to get to a doctor to get a prescription? (Not sure here, just thinking out loud.)

Will have a word with her about it anyway.

Cheers,

Ringo

[secretly_shy]

In the UK you can now purchase the morning after the pill from a chemist (without prescription) for about £24. You have to be (or at least appear to be) over the age of 16. All confidential.

It is the chemists choice whether to sell the pill in this way, or to only let people with prescriptions have it.

The UK has the highest teen pregnancy rate, and making the morning after pill easier to obtain was introduced in hope of reducing the amount of abortions ect.

It was proposed that it would be made available in schools (for free) if the girl went to see the school nurse and explained herself, but this idea was soon scrapped.

I myself think its useful (I have bought it once myself) as the waiting time to see a doctor in the UK is ridiculas, especially as the Morning After Pill is more effective the earlier it is taken.

There you go, thats the UKs situation on the morning after pill! Hope that has explained everything.

[Ringo]

Thanks for that - it helped clarify for me at any rate.

For the record, my gf is on a 3-hour pill, and the split condom happened after that time period was up.

Cheers,

Ringo

[demonbuttercup]

3 hour pill? whats that?
never heard of such.

[Ringo]

I'd never heard of it either.

She was having migraines from the normal one, so she was suggested to try one that's only reliable for a 3-hour period of time, and now doesn't get the headaches.

That's as much as I know.

Cheers,

Ringo