My Doctor Online The Permanente Medical Group
Are you having back pain with any of the following?
- Severe pain, weakness or tingling in your leg(s).
- Difficulty stopping urination or loss of control of bladder or bowels.
- Unexplained fever, nausea or vomiting.
- A history of cancer or unexplained weight loss.
We understand that you are experiencing one or more of the health issues that might be impacting your back pain.
We recommend that you discuss these health issues with your doctor before proceeding with this program.
Once you are cleared by your doctor to do this program, we hope it helps you find relief from your back pain.
Emergency Birth Control
If you have sex without using any protection, emergency birth control can prevent you from becoming pregnant. You should consider emergency birth control if:
- You had sex without using birth control.
- You had a problem with your birth control (the condom broke or slipped off, or your diaphragm or cervical cap slipped out of place).
- You missed several birth control pills, you were late for your contraceptive shot, or you forgot to insert your ring or apply your patch.
- You were forced to have sex.
- You have a partner who will not use or let you use birth control.
Sometimes emergency birth control is called emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) or the morning after pill. This name is a little confusing since you can take emergency birth control up to 5 days after you've had unprotected sex, not just the morning after. One type of emergency birth control is known by the brand name Plan B.
It's normal to have questions about emergency birth control, especially about how it works, how often you can use it, and what to expect after you take it.
Risk of pregnancy
The sooner you take ECPs, the more effective they are in preventing pregnancy.If you take ECPs within 3 days (72 hours) of unprotected sex, you reduce your chance of getting pregnant by 75 to 89 percent. ECPs can be effective if you take them within 5 days of having unprotected sex, but they will be more effective at preventing pregnancy if you take them sooner.
Advantages
- ECPs help prevent unintended pregnancies and abortions.
- ECPs are safe. Even if you cannot take birth control pills, you can take ECPs.
- You can keep ECPs at home in case you need them.
- ECPs will not hurt a fetus if you are already pregnant.
Disadvantages
- ECPs do not protect against STDs.
- You may feel sick to your stomach, have a headache, or tender breasts after taking an ECP.
- You can have menstrual spotting or bleeding.
- ECPs are an emergency back-up method. They are not considered to be an effective method of regular birth control, and there are other methods that are more effective.
How to use ECPs
Your package of ECPs will contain two pills. We recommend that you take both pills at soon as you can after unprotected sex.
Sometimes the package will say to take one pill now and the other in 12 hours, but studies show that the effectiveness is the same if you take them both at once.
If you have an emergency medical condition, call 911 or go to the nearest hospital. An emergency medical condition is any of the following: (1) a medical condition that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) such that you could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in serious jeopardy to your health or body functions or organs; (2) active labor when there isn't enough time for safe transfer to a Plan hospital (or designated hospital) before delivery, or if transfer poses a threat to your (or your unborn child's) health and safety, or (3) a mental disorder that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity such that either you are an immediate danger to yourself or others, or you are not immediately able to provide for, or use, food, shelter, or clothing, due to the mental disorder.
This information is not intended to diagnose health problems or to take the place of specific medical advice or care you receive from your physician or other health care professional. If you have persistent health problems, or if you have additional questions, please consult with your doctor. If you have questions or need more information about your medication, please speak to your pharmacist. Kaiser Permanente does not endorse the medications or products mentioned. Any trade names listed are for easy identification only.