Mary Freeman, Assistant News Editor
Manufacturers of Plan B, better know as the “morning-after pill,” have made great strides in making the pill available to the public, including legislation in many states requiring health officials to offer it to sexual assault victims. However, Plan B is still shrouded in myths, controversy, and simple misinformation.
One of the most popular mistakes made about the now over-the-counter Plan B is that it is the same as prescription-only Mifepristone, also known as RU-486 or the “abortion pill.” The differences between these two pills range from what goes into them, to what they actually do.
According to the report, “Emergency Contraception: A Last Chance to Prevent Unintended Pregnancy,” by James Trussell, BPhil, PhD, Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, Director, Office of Population Research, Princeton University and Elizabeth G. Raymond, M.D., M.P.H., Plan B works in many different ways in order to prevent an unintended pregnancy from happening.
These methods include, delaying or inhibiting ovulation, impairing endometrial receptivity to implantation of a fertilized egg, a thickening of the cervical mucus that traps sperm, alterations in the tubal transport of sperm, egg, or embryo, or direct inhibition of fertilization.
Some people have voiced concern in the past that the over-the-counter use of Plan B would increase in women using Plan B as a regular method of birth control. According to Trussell, “There are no safety concerns with repeat use, but Plan B is not so effective as any regular ongoing method of contraception. If Plan B is the only contraceptive a woman uses, she will get pregnant eventually.”
The most important differentiation is that Plan B has seemingly no effect after implantation, while RU-486 terminates a pregnancy of up to 49 days of gestation. Plan B must be used within 120 hours in order to be effective. “Once implantation has occurred, neither ECP’s [Emergency Contraceptive Pills] nor a copper IUD will work,” stated Trussell.
An alternative to Plan B is a copper-T intrauterine device (IUD) that can be used up to 5 days after unprotected sex. IUD's are more effective than Plan B and can remain in place to allow for ongoing contraception for up to 3-5 years depending on which device is being used.
IUD's are inserted into the uterus, with a tiny string that hangs down from the cervix. The purpose of the string is so that users can regularly check to see if the IUD is still properly in place and has not been ejected.
While IUD's are the most common form of contraception worldwide, they do come with more intense side effects than the mere nausea, dizziness, headache, and fatigue that come with Plan B. IUD's are most regularly removed due to the increase in blood flow and pain during menstruation. There is also a small risk of pelvic inflammatory disease and uterine perforation after implantation of the device.
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