BK-1 Emergency contraception

Pregnancy prevention following unprotected sex

Home Services Contraception and family planning Emergency contraception

A short-term method of 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. An IUD can only be provided to those who have at least one child.

You may wish to consider having a supply of emergency contraceptive pill or pills at home so you have them easily available should you need them as they only work within five days of unprotected sex.

Effectiveness

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.

Availability

Emergency contraception pills are available at all our centres, as well as pharmacies across Bangladesh.

Pricing

Please contact our team for more information about pricing.

If you’re starting to use contraception for the first time, or thinking about using a new method, it’s a good idea to have a full consultation.

Find our locations that offer contraception and family planning services.

Emergency contraception advantages

Emergency contraception offers the following advantages as a short-term method of contraception:

It is safe for almost all women
Using emergency contraception does not affect long term fertility
It does not cause an abortion
You can use emergency contraception at any time in your menstrual cycle
Emergency contraception is not harmful to your health.

Things to consider

When deciding if emergency contraception is a method right for you, here are a few quick facts you should consider:

It will only work for sex that occurred in the previous five days
It is not recommended as a regular method of contraception
Unlike condoms, it does not protect you from sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
It may have some side effects, such as bleeding, nausea and fatigue.

Emergency contraception and other medicines

Emergency contraceptives can interfere with other medications.

Depending which brand of emergency contraception you use, there is a small risk it may affect:

St John’s Wort herbal medicine
Various epilepsy medicines
Various HIV medicines
Various tuberculosis (TB) medicines
Antacid medicines

In all cases, we recommend speaking with us or your healthcare practitioner before taking emergency contraception. You should also read the information leaflet that is supplied with your medicines.