The morning-after pill is an emergency contraceptive. It is designed to be used on a one-off basis to prevent pregnancy when you have forgotten to use other forms of birth control or your contraceptives have not been effective i.e. broken condom. Due to the high levels of hormones, it’s not something you should be taking regularly; so, if you are planning to use it as your default contraceptive while engaging in regular intercourse, then you might want to rethink your strategy.
How much is too much?
Experts recommend that if you use the morning after pill more than two or three times per month, then you should talk to your doctor about some other form of long-term birth control. Regular use is simply not recommended, and you will need to look into alternatives if you want to ensure your safety. It’s fine to use this drug once or twice a month as an emergency contraceptive, but if you plan to need regular contraceptive medication, you should find a different method.
Is Regularly Taking the Morning After Pill Dangerous?
There is not yet sufficient research into the long term use of the morning after pill. The clinical trials only assessed the occasional use of the morning after pill, not regular use. From what we know about this pill, it doesn’t produce any dangerous side effects when used as intended. However, the risks of long term, regular use have not been adequately assessed, so there may be serious side effects that we don’t yet know about. Such dramatic interference with your hormone levels, over the long term, has the potential to cause serious side effects, birth defects and health problems.
However, we do know that other forms of contraception carry less risk. When it comes to pregnancy, menstrual cycles and your health in general, it is always better to go with the safer option. There are simply too many variables in these instances to risk using the option that has more potential for causing problems.
The Morning After Pill vs. the Contraceptive Pill
Regular contraceptive pills, such as Yasmin or Cilest, are more often commonly prescribed than the morning after pill because they use lower hormone levels to get the job done. The high levels of hormones associated with the morning after pill are a lot more likely to cause unwanted side effects. While these side effects may be minor, it is undoubtedly safer to take the contraceptive pill instead. You may not always have a choice, but when you do, you need to choose the safer option.
