Emergency Contraception 101
Plan B®Plan B® is an emergency contraceptive commonly referred to as the morning after pill that is the single most promising avenue for preventing unintended pregnancy and abortion.
What is Plan B®?
Plan B® is a simple, safe and effective birth control that can prevent unintended pregnancy after sexual assault, contraceptive failure, or unprotected sex. It is a stronger dose of ordinary birth control that when taken within 72 hours, can substantially reduce the risk of pregnancy. When is Plan B® most effective?
Plan B® should be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex but can still be effective up to five days after intercourse. Effectiveness drops by 50% with every 24 hours so Plan B® should be taken as soon as possible. Does Plan B® cause an abortion?
Plan B® does not cause abortion. Plan B®, like ordinary birth control pills, prevent ovulation or fertilization before pregnancy occurs - it will not work once a pregnancy has begun. If a woman is pregnant Plan B® will have no effect and will not harm the pregnancy. How can I get Plan B®?
If you are 17 or older, you can purchase emergency contraception at the pharmacy counter without a prescription or obtain the medication at a health care clinic. If you are under 17, you will need to get a prescription from a doctor and get the prescription filled at a pharmacy. How much does Plan B® cost?Prices at pharmacies in Wisconsin vary between $34-$50. Some health care clinics offer Plan B® at a reduced cost or for free. ella® What is ella®? ella® is the newest form of emergency contraception, with several improvements over Plan B®. It is proving to be more efficient and effective than traditional emergency contraception. How does ella® work? Like Plan B®, ella® is a high dose of the same hormone found in the pill. It prevents pregnancy by preventing or delaying ovulation, preventing an egg from being fertilized, and/or preventing the fertilized egg from being implanted. Also like Plan B®, ella® cannot cause an abortion and will not interfere with an existing pregnancy. When is ella® effective? ella® is more effective than Plan B®, and does NOT lose effectiveness over time. It can be taken up to 5 days after vaginal intercourse with the same level of effectiveness regardless of when in those 5 days it is taken. How can I get ella®? ella® has been approved by the FDA for use in the US since 2010. Despite being new to the United States, ella® has been available to 22 countries since its European approval in 2009. ella® is currently only available with a prescription for women 18 years and older. How much does ella® cost? ella® usually costs around $55.
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