When it comes to emergency contraception pills, there are three types currently available, combined estrogen and progestin pills, progestin only pills, and antiprogestin pills. The combined estrogen and progestin pills have for the most part been withdrawan because of the efficiency of the others showing desired results. The other pills have also shown fewer side effects in research studies and proven to be better options for people in the long run who need the medication.
Some of the brands include DES, Plan B and Preven. While being examples, Plan B is the only one listed that is still available on the market today. DES halted production back in 1997 and the Preven medication was discontinued in 2004. Plan B is still readily available over the counter to any woman or girl who asks their pharmacist for it.
As far as these pills being available, most, if not all of them are available over the counter at pharmacies. A prescription is not needed, but people would need to ask the pharmacist for them instead of being able to just pick them up from shelves and be on their way. There have been attempts to limit the age range of people who can actually get the pills over the counter, but within the past year, the Obama administration has ceased on trying to prevent them from being available. Now any woman or girl is able to purchase these pills over the counter.
For most of the pills available, the effectiveness is around 75% so long as the medication is taken within 72 hours after intercourse. While yes, this percentage seems low for a pill that is supposed to be effective in terminating a pregnancy, the actual percentage given so far represents the number of pregnancies reduced in a study. Progestin only pills have been shown to have around an 89% effective in working. Generally the pills must be taken within 72 hours after intercourse to be fully effective, while the sooner taken, the better. Once in the body they can remain effective for a possible 5 days, although not being full strength at that point.
One of the most common side effects of these pills is nausea paired with vomiting, but it is usually just a minimal percentage of people experiencing it. There can also be potential for harm to physical/mental harm to a baby that is still conceived after taking the medication. The medicine had tried to prevent the birth, but it still happened, thus, there may be possible deformities, brain damage, organ damage, and many other possibilities. There can also be potential problems with the woman taking the pills that could lead to bleeding or even delayed ovulation. Another possibility is potentially sore/tender breasts on females due to the addition of more hormones throwing things off balance and the body is trying to cope with it. There are also very minimal chances of potential long term health effects that could lead to problems with future pregnancies or even just health problems for the woman taking the pill, that's why research should be done about what you'd be doing and putting into your body before moving forward with it. All health risks should be assessed and options weighed before making quick decisions.
While pills are the most common types, there are also intrauterine devices which can actually be inserted into the body to prevent pregnancies. These devices are most effective in preventing said pregnancies and are also potentially effective for years after insertion because they are able to remain in the body for around 3-10 years depending on the type of device used.
One of the main problems with people having emergency contraceptives available is they because of that, they don't feel the need for other forms of protection. This in turn leads to higher risk sex. Because of people not using all potential protection, there is the increased potential for the spread of STDs, STIs, and other problems that can be transmitted sexually. The use of emergency contraceptives does not prevent or help to reduce the spread of any of these disease or infections and people need to be aware of that so that proper measures can be taken to help reduce the spread of infections amongst sexual partners and help reduce the infections impact on the world overall. Some people think that once they take these contraceptives, they become invincible and have no fears, but that could not be further from the truth.
Many people view the medication as a wrong choice, because the people taking it are eliminating any chance of life, or even potentially killing life inside the body after it's been taken. This brings up the whole pro life/pro choice debate that causes many problems with people taking the medication and those advocating for its removal from the market. These debates add a lot more drama to the choices being made and how to go about living life with their own choices. There is possible judgement from others on top of the potential health hazards surrounding the medications/devices themselves. The medication being available has been a possible positive for someone who may have experienced a sexual assault or a rape and has become pregnant or is fearful of becoming pregnant from her attacker. Although a dark topic, there are potential benefits from the medication in instances such as those so that the woman won't have to live with a child that was unplanned and was forced upon her.
Overall, there are several options available for contraceptives on the market. The main contraceptives are pills taken orally, but there are also intrauterine devices that can be inserted into the body. The main side effects of these include nausea and vomiting as the main problems, but can also lead to birth defects in the child if the pregnancy follows through. While seen by many as a more so neutral option than positive, there are also people advocating for it to be taken off of the market because of their pro life beliefs, which adds to the drama surrounding the medications and devices. People also need to be aware that the medications and devices do not help prevent the spread of STDs and STIs, so further protection would be needed to help keep people safe from them spreading.
The medicines and devices are helpful options for some, but for others viewed as monstrous choices. Plan accordingly and be smart about what you do with your life!
Information for this blog was gathered and found at the following sources:
http://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/guide/emergency-contraception
http://www.planbonestep.com/
http://ec.princeton.edu/questions/ecsideeffects.html
http://www.healthline.com/health/emergency-contraception/possible-side-effects
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs244/en/
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