Will Plan B Still Work After 3 Days?

The most well known birth control pills that you probably know about are Plan B. It can be bought without a prescription by an over the counter purchase and can be used by women 17 years old and over. The pill contains only progestin, which is efficient in inhibiting ovulation and thus prevents pregnancy up to 72 hours after unprotected sex. What's more, there is a newer form of pill for emergency contraception called Ella that you would like to know. Ella provides you the opportunity to take the pill up to 5 days after unprotected sex, but it is only available with a prescription. The mechanism is the same in that it prevents or delays ovulation but offers you a 5 day window in which it can be used instead of the traditional 72 hours.

Plan B offers a reduction in pregnancy risk of up to 89% if it is taken within 72 hours. And the earlier you take it, the better the result is. Actually, the effectiveness is 95% if taken within the first 24 hours. However, if you take it after 72 hours of unprotected sex, it might not work. Besides, it is important to be noted that this should never be used as the main method of birth control as it is not as effective as normal and regular contraception (like condom) that also prevents against sexually transmitted diseases. Therefore, this should be thought of as a back up and never for routine use, thus why it is called Plan B. It is same when using Ella. Despite its usefulness for up to 5 days, it is recommended that you take it as soon as possible.

After knowing the answer to "Does Plan B work after 72 hours", this might be another common asked question. Plan B consists of two pills where the instructions state to take the second tablet 12 hours after the first one. This is convenient if you take the first dose early in the morning but can be troublesome if it is taken later in the day. Luckily, studies have shown that the effectiveness of Plan B is the same even if both pills are taken at the same time.

Actually, because of this, Plan B One-Step was created. It has 1.5mg of levonorgestrel, a progestin, in one pill. This is the same amount as two Plan B pills. In fact, most emergency contraception pills are sold in single pill format in most countries. So now wondering why the instructions state to take them 12 hours apart? The answer is that it was originally tested with two pills containing lower doses of levonorgestrel, due to the fear of side effects if taken at the same time which later turned out to be incorrect.

Except what have been discussed above, it’s important to know that the pill does not protect you from unwanted pregnancy if sex occurs after taking of the pill. And Plan B should not be used in the following cases:

• If you are definitely or suspect being pregnant;

• If you have a positive history of hypersensitivity and allergies to the ingredients;

• If your weight is over 165 pounds;

• If you have recently had or have irregular vaginal bleeding that has not been checked by the doctor.

Knowing "Does Plan B work after 72 hours" is important, but side effects are also what you should pay attention to. Like all medication, most women taking Plan B tolerate it without any side effects, but some will experience the following possible side effects:

• Mood changes

• Nausea

• Malaise

• Vomiting

• Headaches

• Tenderness of the breasts

• Abdominal cramping

• Menstruation changes, i.e., Earlier, later, lighter or heavier menstruation

Furthermore, Plan B can cause a delay in menstruation ranging from several days to a week. If the delay is longer than a week, taking a pregnancy test is recommended. Side effects lasting more than a month without resolving or bleeding or spotting that lasts continuously for several weeks could be an indication of ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage. Therefore, a doctor should be consulted in this case as ectopic pregnancy can be life threatening.

Plan B should never be mixed or confused with RU-486, which is a pill used for medical abortion. The main ingredient in RU-486 is mifepristone which is a synthetic steroid. Mifepristone impedes progesterone production in the body that is needed to preserve pregnancy while Plan B has no correlation with progesterone and it just delays or prevents ovulation. So if you have unprotected sex and think you might have experienced implantation, then the answer to "Does plan B work after 72 hours or after implantation" is definitely no.