Your Hygeia News of the Week: Plan B
New Emergency Contraceptive available with and sometimes without a prescription (in CA and a few other states).
http://www.go2planb.com/ForConsumers/AboutPlanB/WhatisPlanB.aspx
“Things do not always go as planned. You might have forgotten to take your pill, or another birth control method you used might have failed, like your condom broke. Now you have a second chance to prevent pregnancy with Plan B®.
“Plan B® is an emergency contraceptive that can still prevent a pregnancy after contraceptive failure, unprotected sex, or sexual assault.
“Plan B® should be taken within 3 days (72 hours) of unprotected sex and can reduce the risk of pregnancy by 89%. But the sooner you take it the more effective it will be.
“Plan B® is not RU-486 (the abortion pill); it will not work if you are already pregnant.
“Plan B® is not a substitute for routine birth control. It’s important to remember that Plan B® does not protect you from HIV infection (the virus that causes AIDS) or any other sexually transmitted disease (STD).
“If it is taken within 3 days (72 hours) after unprotected sex, it will decrease the chance that you will get pregnant by 89%. That means 7 out of every 8 women who would have gotten pregnant will not get pregnant. And Plan B® works even better if you take it within the first 24 hours after unprotected sex.1 Unprotected sex might happen when your healthcare professional’s office may be closed, such as over a weekend. Getting a prescription for Plan B® in advance means that it will be there for you — in time — if you ever need it.”
