” If you think you or a friend might be pregnant, you must wait at least 14 days from the last time of unprotected intercourse until you can take an accurate pregnancy test. You should consider going to a clinic for a pregnancy test if you have unprotected intercourse and a missed period or your birth control method failed. If it has been no more than 72 hours since unprotected intercourse, you can get Emergency Contraceptive Pills at a community clinic or from your doctor. Most importantly, you should talk to someone – a friend, parent, teacher or counselor.
Emergency Contraceptive Pills (ECPs), sometimes called the morning after pill, are a way to reduce the risk of pregnancy by about 95 percent. It must be taken within the 72 hours immediately following unprotected intercourse. ECPs should only be used in an emergency, NOT as a method of birth control. It is not clear how the ECPs work. Several studies have shown that ECPs can inhibit or delay ovulation and may also prevent the implantation of the egg on the lining of the uterus. ECPs may also prevent the fertilization or transport of sperm or ova. If you are sexually active and you would like to prevent pregnancy, you should consider using a continuous birth control method. Ask a clinician or a doctor about methods that will protect you against pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).”
