How does emergency contraception affect your period

Are 3 weeks enough after a risk for a HIV test? What is the difference between yeast infection and STI? Can I be pregnant while on the pill? Contraception Choosing your contraception Emergency contraception Combined pill Progestogen only pill Contraceptive patch Contraceptive ring Condoms. Help Centre. However, if you have bleeding or spotting that lasts longer than a week or develop severe lower abdominal pain three to five weeks after taking the morning-after pill, contact him or her.

These can indicate a miscarriage or that the fertilized egg has implanted outside the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube ectopic pregnancy. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version.

This content does not have an Arabic version. Sections for Morning-after pill About. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Kaunitz AM. Emergency contraception. Morning-after pills such as Plan B and Ella help prevent you from getting pregnant after having unprotected sex.

They work by stopping or delaying ovulation. In doing so, they might also affect the length of your normal menstrual cycle. How it affects your period might depend on where you are in your cycle when you take the morning-after pill. In fact, you might not have any irregularities at all. It doesn't interfere with your regular method of contraception. This also works by stopping or delaying the release of an egg.

Levonelle and ellaOne don't continue to protect you against pregnancy — if you have unprotected sex at any time after taking the emergency pill, you can become pregnant. They aren't intended to be used as a regular form of contraception. But you can use emergency contraception more than once in a menstrual cycle if you need to. Most women can use the emergency contraceptive pill. This includes women who can't use hormonal contraception, such as the combined pill and contraceptive patch.

Girls under 16 years old can also use it. But you may not be able to take the emergency contraceptive pill if you're allergic to anything in it, have severe asthma or take any medicines that may interact with it, such as:.

Levonelle may still be used, but the dose may need to be increased. Tell a GP, nurse or pharmacist what medicines you're taking, and they can advise you if they're safe to take with the emergency contraceptive pill.

You can also read the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine for more information. Levonelle is safe to take while breastfeeding.

Although small amounts of the hormones in the pill may pass into your breast milk, it's not thought to be harmful to your baby. The safety of ellaOne during breastfeeding isn't yet known. The manufacturer recommends that you don't breastfeed for one week after taking this pill.

Use additional contraception, such as condoms, until you restart your contraception and for an additional:. A GP or nurse can advise further on when you can start taking regular contraception and how long you should use additional contraception.

There are no serious or long-term side effects from taking the emergency contraceptive pill. See a GP or nurse if your symptoms don't go away after a few days or if:.