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

[christmaselfie1]

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?!

My MAP baby is 24!!!

They always go on about how affective it is but really they don't because they don't know whether you would have become pregnant or not had you not taken it!

I've just checked OP and you're right, the one I took doesn't prevent implantation but it does claim to work even if you've already ovulate by preventing fertilisation of the egg. I took Ezinelle btw:

www.drugs.com/uk/ezinelle-1-5-mg-tablet-leaflet.html

There seems to be a difference if you get it from a pharmacist or a family planning/well woman clinic. The clinics seem better at explaining it. I've had it twice and they asked about my cycle and explained about it delaying ovulation. But I still thought it also impacted on implantation. After reading this thread, I'm really confused on whether it affects implantation or not

www.medsafe.govt.nz/consumers/cmi/p/postinor-1.pdf

This is the Medsafe pamphlet for the ECP (emergency contraceptive pill) available in New Zealand. It is considered 85 % effective if taken within 3 days - after that a Copper coil is advised.
It is a progesterone - which is what the uk one is. Ella one may not work post ovulation but postinor does - my impression is that it works During and post ovulation my making lining uterus inhospitable to implanted egg.
Interesting!

@RandomMess That is a very good point!

I'm currently sat watching paw patrol with the result of my failed MAP...this was within 36 hours of failed contraception.

I didn't realise at the time that it didn't work if you ovulate, obviously very much learned that lesson now! This sleep stealer was very determined to be here with all the medical intervention she dodged. Wouldn't change a thing though.

Hope it works out the way you want it to 🤞

I also thought this was coming knowledge. The MAP has been around a long time. We know how it works. The most basic principle of it is that it does not stop a pregnancy once it has started; it only works before conception. This why anyone who protests against abortion is always told to shut it when it comes to the MAP.

I thought everyone knew that? It is common knowledge isn’t it?

they don't know whether you would have become pregnant had you taken it or not!

The stats on efficacy for contraceptives are measured against a control group of women on no contraception. They are accurate. I mean, no women is being told lies about contraceptive methods. There are misconceptions and it seems the MAP is being given without the correct consultation which is poor.

OP, I'm not sure if it's reassuring or not but ovarian cysts can rupture causing symptoms such as the backache you describe.

I did NOT know this!

Pharmacist here, ehc does delay ovulation and may perhaps prevent implantation but honestly nobody really knows. As part of a consultation it’s good practice to tell women how the pill works. But as part of the consultation you should be asked how often your cycle is and when you last bled therefore we know if it’s likely to work for you or not. Also it’s very difficult to predict when a woman will ovulate, so if you have a 28 day cycle it will happen in the middle of your cycle e.g. day 14. Many things can affect this like diet, stress etc and the range is usually anything form day 11-24!
Off topic but I would really like to share these articles with women, in my opinion this is pretty shocking and I wish more people knew:

www.fsrh.org/news/fsrh-release-updated-guidance-combined-hormonal-contraception/

www.independent.co.uk/news/health/contraceptive-pill-every-day-nhs-guidance-break-catholic-church-pope-a8737456.html

It needs making clear as personally, whilst I'd be happy to stop egg and sperm meeting, I'd feel uncomfortable about making sure that implantation couldn't occur, and if it had that double mechanism I'd feel more reluctant to take it, and vice versa.

I think it's generally believed (it's what I thought) that it had a two pronged approach, so if it had no effect on a fertilised egg, it could be they some women would get the pill, which currently feel they can't.

@Lookslikerainted

Women are told this, this is common knowledge and explained when the MAP is given out.

I’ve taken it twice and I am only learning this now. I had a lengthy chat with a pharmacist both times where I was given a patronising talk on how I should be on the pill / coil rather than using condoms in a long term relationship (no thanks).

I do always wonder why instructions on medicines don’t detail why they are telling you to do or not do a certain thing. For example, drinking alcohol while on antibiotics – I think people would be so much more likely to comply if they had an understanding of the reasons behind the instructions and risks you avoid by following them.

Agree it’s possible that more women would feel comfortable with it for moral reasons if they thought it pretty much only stops ovulation

I didn’t know this. My ds is 9 now-I really should have read the leaflet! I’m very happy she’s here though!

Yes! SweetLoveOfCod I’ve always thought that since reading What Katy Did as a little girl, she was told not to use the swing in the barn, ignored it and fell breaking her leg. If they’d said it’s rotten and about to fall off she wouldn’t have done it

I took it once, many many years ago. The pharmacist asked me when my last period was, did some calculations and said I probably wouldn't get pregnant anyway, but it wouldn't harm to take the MAP if I really wanted. Given I'd suffered a double contraception failure and really, really didn't want to get pregnant, I paid the £20 anyway.

Woke up in the middle of the night with the worst cramping ever - I remember crawling on the floor and whimpering in pain. Really thought I was dying.

Thankfully never been unlucky enough to need MAP again.

That is strange, the pharmacy I went to was a Lloyds one too.

@pinkbalconyrailing if they asked about my cycle they could have made an educated guess. Plus I'm one of the women who feel a slight twinge when they ovulate so if I had known it was only to prevent ovulation, I would have been aware it was too late.

I was always thought that it gets less effective with each day after you have had sex. That's why dubbed the morning after as that when most effective.

I've got the same lower back pain I had with both of my previous pregnancies... I've been told it's to do with the formation of the corpus lutheum and implantation... I would not have implanted yet, it's too early, even if I ovulated on Wednesday.

I am very worried. I wish I'd have been properly informed by the pharmacist.

@Lookslikerainted

Women are told this, this is common knowledge and explained when the MAP is given out.

Wasn't explained to me, and other posters have said it wasn't explained to them either.

Those who say read the leaflet, so I should pay £20 (£35 in op's case) to read a leaflet and find that it won't work? They won't refund medication so effectively wasting money women might not have.

I was not told this, and consequently have a child that was a result of the failure of the MAP. Took it right around the time of ovulation. Very much loved child but it was very stressful at the time.

I queried this with the pharmacist the last time I took the MAP (about a year ago) as I was fairly sure I'd ovulated and she specifically told me it prevents implantation so to crack on and take it!

So that was a load of bollocks then!

Well, we all know contraception and MAP pills aren't 100% and now you know why.