Emergency Contraception, Which is Best? Ella, Plan B or IUD?

Emergency Contraception is used when a woman has had an unprotected sex and she wasn’t on birth control pills. Unprotected sex may result in pregnancy. But it is not a rule that an unprotected sex will always cause pregnancy. It depends on various factors. These are described elsewhere.
If you are a woman and you have had unprotected sex and you don’t want pregnancy then still you have several choices. Following things can be done:

• Emergency Contraception Pills.
• Emergency insertion of an IUD (intra-uterine device).
• Unprotected sex doesn’t always result in pregnancy. There are 30-50 % chances of pregnancy after unprotected sex even near ovulation. If Emergency contraception or IUD is not available or you can’t have it then, you may hope that you will not be pregnant

1. Emergency Contraception Pills:
Plan B contains levonorgestrel which is a progesterone. It is taken as one pill any time after unprotected sex. It is effective only if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. It is more effective if taken immediately after an unprotected sex. It reduces the chances of pregnancy by 90%.
Ella is also approved for emergency contraception. It is effective if taken within 5 days of unprotected sex. Therefore it gives us more time span. Sperms can remain alive in female genital tract up to 5 days and women egg remain alive up to 12 – 48 hours. So it is difficult to tell what will happen. But studies proved that these methods of contraception significantly reduce the chances of pregnancy.
2. Emergency Insertion of an Intra-Uterine Device (IUD)
IUD is inserted into the uterus of women. It provides long-term protection (up to years). It blocks implantation of the embryo into the uterine wall and thus prevents pregnancy to occur. It is very effective. It can be inserted 5 – 7 days after unprotected sex and is very effective. It reduces the chances of pregnancy up to 99 %.  Therefore, it is the most effective procedure for preventing an emergency pregnancy.

How To Get the Pills or IUD:
Ella or Plan B is available without a prescription if your age is more than 17. If your age is less than 17 than you must have a prescription in order to get the pills.
An IUD is available in every family planning and contraception clinic and can only be inserted by a registered professional. Don’t try to insert an IUD yourself or friend. There are many complications of improper insertion of IUD that can only be avoided if it is inserted by a registered professional.