Levonelle and ellaOne - Effective Morning After Pills

The morning-after pill, or emergency contraceptive pill, helps you prevent an unwanted pregnancy even after you have had unprotected sexual intercourse. These pills are most commonly known as the morning-after pill but this term is misleading, because these pills work for up to 120 hours after you have had unprotected sexual intercourse or in case of failure of traditional methods of contraception. Sometimes, in spite of planning in advance, couples forget to use contraception and get caught up in the heat of the moment. This can give rise to various complications out of which pregnancy is just one. Emergency contraception comes in handy during such times.

While some pills can be taken for up to 120 hours after unprotected sexual intercourse, it is advisable that you use these pills as soon as possible. Emergency contraception works best if you use it withi 12 hours of unprotected sexual intercourse. These pills are also known as post-coital pills. Emergency contraception is different from abortion. Contraception means that the egg is not fertilised at all and hence pregnancy does not arise. Abortion can only take place after the egg is fertilised, which is not the case in emergency contraception.

Levonelle

This medication contains a female hormone known as levonorgestrel. This is the chief ingredient of this pill. Levonelle works by preventing the ovaries from releasing an egg, altering the womb lining and thickening the cervical mucus. Levonelle works for up to 72 hours after unprotected sexual intercourse. Use of this medication can lead to some mild side effects such as nausea, vomiting, headache, menstrual irregularity and low abdominal pain. In case you take this pill and throw up within two hours, there are chances that you may need to take another one. If you are using condoms, or any other form of contraception, you might want to continue using them until the doctor tells you that you are safe from a pregnancy. If you are suffering from liver dysfunction, you should not use this medication.

ellaOne

This medication was recently launched in the market but it has become the top favourite of women as its effects last for up to 5 days or 120 hours after having unprotected sexual intercourse. ellaOne contains uliprital acetate and even doctors don’t know how this medication works. But from a general idea about it, they say that it blocks the progestogen receptors in the body. This medication works really well if it is taken within two days of unprotected sexual intercourse. It can be taken up to five days after the event, but the sooner you take it, the more effective it is.

In most cases, Levonelle is prescribed to women and only if this medication cannot be prescribed will doctors advise patients to use ellaOne. It is not that either of these medications is better than the other, but it depends on the individual case. Always consult a doctor before using any medication.