Emergency Contraceptive Pills (ECP)

Commonly known as the morning-after pill, ECPs are birth control pills containing the hormone estrogen and progestin. The current treatment schedule is one dose within 72 hours after unprotected intercourse and a second dose 12 hours after the first.

Emergency contraception is a way of blocking the meeting between a woman's egg and a man's sperm or if such a meeting has already occur, of preventing a fertilized egg from attaching itself to the womb.

Emergency contraception is not an abortion; it will not disrupt an already established pregnancy, nor does it harm a fetus if used by mistake early in an established pregnancy.

The use of birth control pills for emergency contraception was introduced by Dr. Albert Yuzpe, a Canadian Obstetrician and Gynecologist in 1974. Emergency contraception pills have been available in Europe and other countries, where they are packaged for just that purpose.

Emergency contraception is just that- contraception to be used in an emergency, and should not be substituted for ongoing contraception.

Call Parkmed for more information or to schedule an appointment at 1-800-346-5111.