What is the emergency contraception pill?
A. The emergency contraception pill (ECP) is a set of pills, usually two to four that contain high amounts of synthetic hormones. These pills are generally taken 72 hours, or 3 days, after one incidence of unprotected sex. The ECP is NOT RU-486 or an abortion pill. This pill is only taken if the woman is certain she is not pregnant from another incidence of unprotected sex, and will only have an effect on the woman if the unprotected sex has happened within the past three to five days. The ECP is also not meant to be used as a normal contraception method, as the high dosages of hormones may affect your body negatively. If you find yourself using the ECP often, you may want to talk to your clinician about getting on a regular form of birth control (such as the Pill or Depo-Provera, for example).
