“Did we use one or not?”: be safe not sorry

Many of us have been there, you’re out with your people, having some drinks and your friends keep ordering shots like there’s no tomorrow, while you’re already on your third Gin Tonic. You notice how the guy from across the bar starts getting cuter and cuter. Before you know it, your glass is empty again, and you find yourself walking over to the counter. Next thing you know you wake up with a headache for the books and soft, white sheets wrapped around you. As you realise where you are, a second question pops into your head. You search the room for any evidence that you might have used a condom, but you fail. Suddenly, your life flashes before your eyes. You’re not ready to have a child yet. Work is going so amazing, and you’ve just started going to this new yoga place down the street during the little free time you have. A child just wouldn’t fit into your life at the moment. Very quickly you gather your things, leave a little note on this guy’s nightstand whose name you just can’t seem to remember and sprint to the next pharmacy. They’ll know what to do.

Situations like this happen more frequently than one might think. Whether it’s a night of unprotected sex, a ripped condom or you’ve simply forgotten to take a pill, pregnancy scares occur due to various factors. Luckily, we live in a time where emergency contraception is easily accessible at your local pharmacy without a prescription. The most commonly known and used form of emergency contraception is the morning after pill.

Emergency contraception pills like Plan B work just as well, however, if you decide to go with a Levonorgestrel based pill you’re going to want to take the pill within a 3-day window after having sex since they’re proven to work best when taken as soon as possible. Despite which pill you choose to take you shouldn’t challenge the universe and just take it as soon as possible to be on the safe side. In case you do not have the time or possibility to immediately pick up the pill, you might want to consider ordering the EC over an online pharmacy such as Click Pharmacy. All you have to do is fill out a few questions and your pill will be delivered to you, especially when it comes to uncomfortable topics such as emergency contraceptives.

Another important aspect that needs to be taken into consideration when you’re looking into EC and choosing which to use is the factor of weight. Various studies have shown that emergency contraceptives perform differently at a BMI of 26 or when you weight over 70kg. Most women that fall into this category are advised to rather default to a copper intrauterine device, short IUD. If you’re not familiar with this term, do not worry, it’s only half as scary as it sounds. Basically, it is a small t-shaped device that is inserted into your uterus. It works the same way as hormonal contraceptives since it changes the way sperms move which then again prevents fertilisation. However, according to the European Consortium for Emergency Contraception, it has not been proven that weight is directly linked to the lack of effectiveness of EC pills.

Whichever way you decide to go, you should always keep in mind that you are not alone with this. There are so many women out there that faced the same situation you’re in. If you’re unsure what to do you can always call your local health clinic and talk to their trained medical professionals. Don’t be scared, you are going to be fine.