Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsOptionsWhere to Get ItCostEffectivenessPlanning AheadSide Effects
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Options
Where to Get It
Cost
Effectiveness
Planning Ahead
Side Effects
The morning-after pill refers to severalemergency contraceptivessold in stores to anyone of any age. It is a safe and effective way to preventunintended pregnancy.
Emergency contraception must be used within 72 hours of unprotected sex or acontraceptive failureand is not intended to be used as a routine method for preventing pregnancy.
This article explains options for OTC emergency contraception. Learn how these pills work, how to use them effectively, and where to buy them.
Dawn Stacey
How to Use a Condom Correctly
What Is the Morning After Pill?
There are several morning-after pill options available. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given most of them its stamp of approval to prevent pregnancy up to 72 hours after unprotected sex (or a failed contraceptive):
You may prefer any of several generic alternatives, which are usually cheaper than Plan B and include:
The newest option on the block works differently:
Despite some differences, emergency contraception works best when it’s taken as soon as possible after unprotected sex. The ideal time is within 24 hours.
Emergency Contraception Options
Where to Get the Morning-After Pill
Until 2013, there were point-of-sale and age restrictions on the morning-after pill. Now that all restrictions have been lifted, you should be able to buy them at local drugstores, retail outlets, or online.
Where to Get Plan B One-Step
Store owners have some discretion as to where they can shelve these drugs. Typically, they are found in the family planning aisle, near over-the-counter (OTC) contraceptives (condoms,Today Sponge,VCF, etc.), home pregnancy tests, and personal lubricants, but you may need to ask for them.
To deter theft some stores keep supplies behind the pharmacy or checkout counter. Others may place each box of pills in a large, plastic container that a cashier opens with a key after the product is paid for.
Because people have been known to walk off with the bulky containers, some stores reserve a spot for morning-after pills on their shelves, but instead of displaying the actual box, they place a picture of the product there instead.
The picture includes directions to where to find the product in the store (such as behind the pharmacy counter). Besides picking up emergency contraceptives at many grocery and drug stores, you can also find them online.
Even if the morning-after pill is located behind the pharmacy counter, remember that you don’t need to show a form of identification to buy it. You need only to ask for it.
Where to Get Ella
You can also get a prescription from your healthcare provider or a family planning clinic.
Ella Without a PrescriptionWashington, California, New Mexico, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts allow pharmacists to dispense emergency contraceptives without a doctor’s prescription.
Ella Without a Prescription
Washington, California, New Mexico, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts allow pharmacists to dispense emergency contraceptives without a doctor’s prescription.
How Much Does the Morning-After Pill Cost?
The morning-after pill can cost as little as $11 or as much as $50 or more depending on the brand available at your pharmacy.
Plan B One-Step costs between $40 and $50, while generic morning-after pills (Take Action, My Way, Option 2, Preventeza, My Choice, Aftera, and Contra) can range from $11 to $45. Another generic brand, AfterPill, is sold online for $20 plus $5 shipping.Plan B One-Step is available at discounted rates via GoodRx.
Ella is available online and includes a fast medical consultation and next-day delivery, which costs $90. You can also get Ella at the pharmacy for around $50.
Some insurances cover the morning-after pill without a copay, and you may also be able to use funds from aflexible spending accountto cover the cost. Free or low-cost emergency contraception fromPlanned Parenthood, another family-planning clinic, or your local health department may also be an option.
How Effective Is the Morning-After Pill?
When used as directed:
Factors that influence the effectiveness of emergency contraception include:
Ella vs. Plan B: How Are They Different?
BMI and the Morning-After Pill
It is important to be aware that your weight may affect how well these two morning-after options work to prevent pregnancy.
Emergency contraceptive pills can be less effective in women living with obesity.Researchers theorize that morning-after medications may be absorbed more slowly or become stored in body fat instead of circulating in the bloodstream of individuals with higher weights.
BMI is a simple calculation that helps to classify (though imperfectly) if a person has underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obesity.
It’s a good idea to buy emergency contraception ahead of time, before you need it—even before youthinkyou may need it. Since it’s most effective the sooner you use it, having it readily accessible can save you precious time when it’s needed.
Store inventories do ebb and flow. So, just because you’ve seen an OTC morning-after pill at your local store once does not mean the store will have it when you need it as it could be out of stock.
Plus, if your favorite store keeps its pill inventory in the pharmacy, the pharmacy could be closed if you make a late-night visit (even though the main store could be open).
Since time is of the essence with emergency contraception, try to give yourself every advantage.
The Take Action Morning-After Pill
Side Effects of the Morning-After Pill
Drinking water can relieve some of the side effects you may experience from the morning-after pill. They include:
The side effects of emergency contraception are usually mild and fade quickly. Some women experience no side effects at all. It’s more likely that your next period may come sooner or later than usual, and you may have some spotting (or light bleeding) beforehand.
And, rest assured: The pill will not affect your ability to get pregnant in the future.
Summary
Plan B One-Step, as well as its four generic equivalents, contains levonorgestrel and can be taken up to 72 hours after unprotected sex. The active ingredient in Ella, ulipristal acetate, can be taken up to five days (120 hours) after unprotected sex.
Morning-After Pill vs. Abortion Pill
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Emergency contraception.Office on Women’s Health.Emergency contraception.KFF.State Health Facts - Pharmacist Provision of Emergency Contraception to Women Without a Doctor’s Prescription.Planned Parenthood.Plan B morning-after pill.Planned Parenthood.What is the ella morning after pill?Practice Bulletin No. 152: Emergency Contraception.Obstet Gynecol. 2015;126(3):e1-e11. doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000001047HRA Pharma America.ella.Foundation Consumer Healthcare.Plan B One-Step FAQ.Planned Parenthood of Michigan.Emergency Contraception.Fok WK, Blumenthal PD.Update on emergency contraception.Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2016;28(6):522-529. doi:10.1097/GCO.0000000000000320
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Emergency contraception.Office on Women’s Health.Emergency contraception.KFF.State Health Facts - Pharmacist Provision of Emergency Contraception to Women Without a Doctor’s Prescription.Planned Parenthood.Plan B morning-after pill.Planned Parenthood.What is the ella morning after pill?Practice Bulletin No. 152: Emergency Contraception.Obstet Gynecol. 2015;126(3):e1-e11. doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000001047HRA Pharma America.ella.Foundation Consumer Healthcare.Plan B One-Step FAQ.Planned Parenthood of Michigan.Emergency Contraception.Fok WK, Blumenthal PD.Update on emergency contraception.Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2016;28(6):522-529. doi:10.1097/GCO.0000000000000320
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
MedlinePlus.Emergency contraception.Office on Women’s Health.Emergency contraception.KFF.State Health Facts - Pharmacist Provision of Emergency Contraception to Women Without a Doctor’s Prescription.Planned Parenthood.Plan B morning-after pill.Planned Parenthood.What is the ella morning after pill?Practice Bulletin No. 152: Emergency Contraception.Obstet Gynecol. 2015;126(3):e1-e11. doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000001047HRA Pharma America.ella.Foundation Consumer Healthcare.Plan B One-Step FAQ.Planned Parenthood of Michigan.Emergency Contraception.Fok WK, Blumenthal PD.Update on emergency contraception.Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2016;28(6):522-529. doi:10.1097/GCO.0000000000000320
MedlinePlus.Emergency contraception.
Office on Women’s Health.Emergency contraception.
KFF.State Health Facts - Pharmacist Provision of Emergency Contraception to Women Without a Doctor’s Prescription.
Planned Parenthood.Plan B morning-after pill.
Planned Parenthood.What is the ella morning after pill?
Practice Bulletin No. 152: Emergency Contraception.Obstet Gynecol. 2015;126(3):e1-e11. doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000001047
HRA Pharma America.ella.
Foundation Consumer Healthcare.Plan B One-Step FAQ.
Planned Parenthood of Michigan.Emergency Contraception.
Fok WK, Blumenthal PD.Update on emergency contraception.Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2016;28(6):522-529. doi:10.1097/GCO.0000000000000320
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