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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think women should be told this about the morning after pill?

380 replies

christmaselfie1 · 21/12/2020 15:52

The morning after pill is directly linked to ovulation, and if you have already ovulated then it is pretty much pointless!

I had sex where the condom split on Monday last week, but due to covid restrictions and living rurally I was not able to get the morning after pill until Friday (4 days after sex). I have taken Ellaone before, the brand that you can take up to 5 days after, so assumed that all would be okay. I am also tracking my cycles on the instruction of my gynaecologist because I suffer with ovarian cysts.

I got my LH surge and a positive ovulation test on Wednesday morning, which means ovulation would have occurred imminently, most likely well before I took the morning after pill on Friday evening!

Since researching, I have discovered that the morning after pill works by delaying or preventing ovulation. Therefore, if you have already ovulated, and the sperm happened to meet the egg in that time, the morning after pill has pretty much zero effect! You can read it yourself on the manufacturers website...

www.ellaone.co.uk/faqs/does-ellaone-work-if-youve-already-ovulated

I have taken the morning after pill three times and I have never been told this by any pharmacist. I have never been informed on how it works, just that is it effective up to 5 days after unprotected sex. The only emergency contraception that works in these circumstances is the IUD. I have now got the worry for the next week that I might be pregnant.

Am I the only person that had no idea how the morning after pill works?!

OP posts:
ThornAmongstRoses · 21/12/2020 17:06

I was told that taking it could delay my period by 2 weeks, but no explanation was given as to why that was.

The two week point arrived, unlike my period, and I knew I was pregnant Sad

Original poster
christmaselfie1 · 21/12/2020 17:08

@Diddlysquatty no it doesn't stop a pregnancy after the egg has been fertilised... its only mechanism is to prevent or delay ovulation. Therefore, if the egg has already been fertilised (or you've already ovulated) the morning after pill won't do anything.

OP posts:
Diddlysquatty · 21/12/2020 17:08

To be fair I may well have been asked about when my last period was, I can’t remember but it wasn’t explained why that was significant, I just understood it was less effective the longer after sex it was

Somersetlevel · 21/12/2020 17:08

Yes it is clear and was told to me the one time I took it. I knew I had already ovulated but had sex without my consent. I was pregnant as a result and had to have a termination.

waitinggame108 · 21/12/2020 17:09

This was never explained to me when I took it at university.

However I do know this now. I think there is a massive gap in women's knowledge on their own bodies.

Most women just think they bleed once a month and that's it. Shocking really

Original poster
christmaselfie1 · 21/12/2020 17:10

@ThornAmongstRoses Flowers was that with Ellaone? I have read information that Ellaone is more effective than the other pill, but it still works by delaying ovulation... I believe it is only more effective because it can delay ovulation for longer (5 days).

OP posts:
FluffySock · 21/12/2020 17:11

It failed for me.

MirandaMarple · 21/12/2020 17:12

I took it when I was a lot younger and never even considered how it works.

I took it about a year ago and I think my more mature head wanted to know how it works so I did look it up before I went to the pharmacy.

On both occasions it wasn't explained to me by the pharmacist.

CheeseIsMyVice · 21/12/2020 17:12

I didn’t know this.

10 years ago I had to have a termination as it didn’t work for me after another failed contraception. No one told me at the time! But now I know why.

Tiredtiredtired100 · 21/12/2020 17:14

I did know this and took it on day 24 of a normally 30-32 day cycle (less than 24 hours after an accident) so thought I had probably ovulated ages before the accident but took it anyway. My almost 2 year old is proof it had no effect whatsoever and that you can ovulate anytime in your cycle 🤷‍♀️

ChristmasBubble · 21/12/2020 17:14

I knew this and I've never had cause to take one. Not sure where I learnt it. On the radio or Mumsnet probably.

Northernsoullover · 21/12/2020 17:14

This might explain the existence of my 15 year old. I had absolutely no idea. Thankfully, that ship has sailed now.

HmmSureJan · 21/12/2020 17:16

It is linked to ectopic pregnancy too, something that is not routinely explained when prescribing and I actually had a doctor defensively deny this when I asked about it after I underwent emergency surgery for an ectopic.

ectopic.org.uk/patients/reasons-for-an-ectopic-pregnancy/

Peeteea · 21/12/2020 17:18

I discovered this recently myself- I’ve taken it 3 times in my life and it has never been mentioned, even when prescribed by a doctor. Surprising that it isn’t mentioned!

BrassicaRabbit · 21/12/2020 17:20

I had no idea about this. Not used it for several years but I do remember the pharmacist asking for the dates of my last period. They didn't explain why. This is problematic because I don't have a 28 day cycle so they would have needed to actually ask me to know when I ovulated.

The first time I had to use emergency contraception it failed and now I know why. Thanks op.

Quite bemused by the number of people who think it is unreasonable for women to be alerted by the pharmacist to this key point about emergency contraception.

When I buy ibuprofen at the chemist I get asked if I am asthmatic. We are prevented from buying large amounts of painkillers in one go. I went to buy worm medication for my toddler but a quick chat initiated by the pharmacist ensured I came away with the correct medication (it wasn't worms).

If the morning after pill only works prior to ovulation. This is a key feature. The implications of the morning after pill failing are life altering. I know this from experience. For the mental and physical health of the woman it is surely vital the pharmacist raises this! Surely you sell the medicine most likely to work. Especially when the outcome is potentially so life altering.

TinyTroubleMaker · 21/12/2020 17:21

Looking at DD age 6..

..think this is how I got pregnant. Still didn't know it until I read your post but it would make total sense

yetanothernamitynamechange · 21/12/2020 17:24

@jessstan1

I think most women are aware of what the morning after pill can and cannot achieve.
I am not sure if that is true actually. I remember on a recent thread about women "trapping" men by getting pregnant by accident lots of posters were adamant that contraception used correctly has a very low chance of failure. Admittedly this may be the case for condoms (which men are likely to be putting on themselves), but if a condom fails then there was still the assumption that you can prevent pregnancy with the MAP. Evidently this is not true
yetanothernamitynamechange · 21/12/2020 17:25

And I too have a lovely condom/MAP failure who is now at school. He is the light of my life but the amount of people I know who think this cant happen is ridiculous.

Dancingbea · 21/12/2020 17:25

It’s why it should be sold directly from the shelf from more locations - supermarkets, corner shops - so women can take it as soon as possible. Also there is no justifying the £20 price tag - it costs less than a pound to make. The pharmacist slap on a massive consultation fee where they clearly don’t even give good advice/information. No need for the consultation, women should be able to buy it directly.

Nomorepies · 21/12/2020 17:26

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ on the poster's request

Original poster
christmaselfie1 · 21/12/2020 17:28

It cost me £35 for ellaone. I wasn't even bothered about the price, I just wanted to know I had prevented a pregnancy.

Incidentally, I had just read this data from a study:

'The observed pregnancy rate following UPA administration was significantly lower than the expected pregnancy rate only in the pre-ovulatory group (P < 0.0001), but not the post-ovulatory group (P = 0.281).'

So it seems it only lowers your chances of pregnancy when administered pre-ovulation.

OP posts:
Aroundtheworldin80moves · 21/12/2020 17:28

When I had it 12 years ago, I had a 5min phone appointment with the nurse. Then picked up my prescription from the medical centre a couple of hours later. Most of the phone call was about better contraceptive options. Eas never asked about my cycle.

I found out on here about how it works, and will be educating my daughters in a few years. (Would also educate sons if I had any)

Juanbablo · 21/12/2020 17:29

This has never been explained to me. I took the morning after pill a few times as a teenager and once as a married woman with 3 children. Never once has this been said.

yetanothernamitynamechange · 21/12/2020 17:30

Plus I remember (catholicish european country) being told by the pharmacist that I should know the MAP could cause the destruction of an already fertilised egg if I took it too long after unprotected sex. That certainly contradicts the idea that it is inneffective after ovulation.

ImEatingVeryHealthilyOhYes · 21/12/2020 17:32

It’s true! (from a brief google) Fgs this needs to be more widely known.