PLAN B
Kurtis Morrish
“Deep breathes. Don’t forget to take
some.”
“Never say never. No one plans on having unprotected sex,
but it happens to the best of us.”
“That’s life. Accidents happen, we make mistakes,
and some things are out of our control.”
These are the reassuring words that grace the main pages
of the Plan B website. The whole web page seems to be designed for someone frantic to search Google in hopes of finding when, how, and where to avoid pregnancy: Plan B! Many people
don’t know much about Plan B, other than the fact that it exists simply as “the
morning after pill,” and they reserve their rushed research of the drug for that morning
after.
If you wake up with the suspicion that your previous
night’s activities were not as protected as they could have been, chances are
you are worrying about becoming pregnant. Before you
panic and rush out to the drug store (or possibly your own medicine cabinet) to do a
pregnancy test, remember a few things about conception, and more importantly,
preventing conception.
Conception is not instantaneous! Sperm can actually live up to
seven days inside a woman’s reproductive system, and conception can occur at
any point while the sperm are still there. Conception can also occur
quite quickly though, and it is wise to be aware of what to do next if you
fear you are pregnant and are not interested in having a baby at this point in
your life.
Plan B is proven to be an effective method of preventing
pregnancy (that’s right: it’s an emergency contraceptive, not an abortion pill) if
taken within 72 hours or whenever Plan A failed (or perhaps never happened). It
has been shown that the sooner you take Pan B (within that 72 hour window), the
more likely it is to prevent a pregnancy from occurring (within the first 12 to
24 hours is best).
The drug works in three steps:
1) Plan B stops the ovaries
from releasing an egg.
2) If an egg has already been released, it stops
fertilization from occurring.
3) If fertilization has already occurred, it
stops the fertilized egg from implanting in the uterine wall.
Note that if all three of
these effects of the drug fail, then pregnancy is extremely likely to occur.
If you are already pregnant, do not take Plan B! It will
not abort the pregnancy. It is good to know that Plan B taken after pregnancy
will not have any effects on the fetus.
If you have taken a dose of Plan B (doses vary by
medication types and should be determined by consultation with a pharmacist and
also your doctor if possible), do not take another dose of Plan B to be “extra
safe.” Studies have shown that taking more will not improve your chances of
preventing a pregnancy. Excess Plan B is actually more likely to make
you feel nauseous, perhaps even enough to induce vomiting, which would only
cause you to lose your original dose as well as the extra one you just took.
Pregnancy can be tested within a few days of having unprotected sex, and it is important to do a
pregnancy test shortly after taking Plan B (pregnancy tests are more reliable 5 or more days after the fact) in order to double-check that the
drug has worked. You should also see your doctor before you take Plan B! Or
shortly afterward, if you are not able to see them right away.
In some places, access to Plan B medication is available
by prescription only (though most places sell it over the counter), which can
be obtained after a brief consultation with a pharmacist. If you find yourself
roaming the shelves of a drug store, searching for what you hope to be the
prevention of an unwanted pregnancy and can’t find it, do not fear. Don’t
hesitate to approach the pharmacist and ask about it. Pharmacists, like
doctors, are health professionals that are sworn to confidentiality, and though they may ask a few questions about other medications you are taking,
or why you are trying to use Plan B, they are there to help you, not judge you.
Some drugs can conflict with Plan B and make it less
effective. Anticonvulsant drugs (phenytoin,
carbamazepine), antibiotics (ampicillin, cotrimoxazole, tetracycline,
clarithromycin), rifampicin, acetaminophen (in Tylenol, Midol, etc.) have been
proven to reduce or negate the effectiveness of Plan B. If you are taking any
of these medications, then you should go to your doctor and discuss
exactly what you are taking, when you had unprotected sex, and what to do next.
Some people are allergic to Plan B and therefore should not take it even
if they are extremely anxious about a possible pregnancy. It is also suggested
that if you are currently experiencing abnormal vaginal bleeding (not the same
as your period) that you do not take Plan B.
Approximately 1/4 of
all women who take Plan B feel nauseous after taking it, and half of those who
feel nauseous may feel so sick that they begin to vomit. If this happens to
you, do
not take more Plan B. Go to your doctor! After using Plan B, some women
notice changes in their menstrual cycle– possibly coming one week early or late
and with a greater or lesser flow than you might be used to. If your period is
more than one week late, do a pregnancy test at home or at your doctor’s
office; you might be pregnant.
There are some rare and more
serious side effects that can accompany taking Plan B, these include: Breast
tenderness, headache, dizziness, fatigue, lower abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
If any of these persist more than 48 hours, you must seek
medical attention immediately. In some cases, women can also develop itching or
a rash, sever migraine headaches, or sudden cramps in the stomach or belly. For
any of the above it is advised you see your doctor as soon as possible!
If there is one single fact about Plan B to take away from
this article, it is that Plan B should not be used regularly as a
contraceptive. If you are infrequently sexually active and therefore
don’t regularly use any method of birth control, do not simply rely on Plan B
after every time you have unprotected sex. Plan B is essentially a high hormone
dosage (like a super strong, one-time-use version of a birth control pill) that
does exert a strain on your reproductive system. It has also been shown that
multiple uses of Plan B will reduce it effectiveness over time.
When thinking about Plan B, start with Plan
A!
For more information check out the following links:
http://www.planbonestep.com/
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/sex_relationships/facts/morningafterpill.htm
http://www.planb.ca/
Medical Section Columnist, Kurtis Morrish:
My
name is Kurtis Morrish. I graduated from Cal last year as
an Integrative Biology major. I am now in the process of applying to
medical school in the hopes of one day serving people as a family
doctor. By no means do I write to you as an M.D., but I have extensive
experience doing all kinds of scientific research; boiling-down long,
dry, mumbo-jumbo-dense medical journals into a reduction that is a
little sweeter, useful, and hopefully informative for you. I hope to
learn as much from my writing as you do, so please hit me up with
further questions, concerns, or comments!
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