My insane schedule of late kept me from blogging for a while, and also kept me from paying careful attention to most news (Libya? What’s that?), but I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things.
Since, even from the depths of my work-cave, I was constantly hearing messages about the attacks on Planned Parenthood going through the US House of Representatives, and the zillions of bills aimed at chipping away at Roe, one thing that I put on my calendar was the 10th observation of Back Up your Birth Control Day, sponsored by the National Institute of Reproductive Health.
It’s hard to believe that EC (AKA Emergency Contraception, AKA The Morning After Pill) is at least ten years old. Though I’ve never had occasion to take it myself–well, not since it became available (but hoo-doggie, I know a 19-year-old Dork who would have spent half her National Merit Scholarship money for it)–I always checked to see if it were available at drugstores in my neighborhood, and I’ve on occasion donated money to EC funds for women in need.
If you are an XX having PIV with an XY, you need to know about EC. We all know that condoms can break, or come off inside you (OMG HORROR), that oral contraceptives require careful scheduling and can be rendered ineffective in combination with other drugs (like antibiotics), that sometimes people make bad decisions about contraception, and that some women are just really, really fertile, even if they wish they weren’t. Half of all pregnancies aren’t planned. EC prevents pregnancy, after sex. It is not an abortifacient. If you’re worried about your safe sex practices maybe not being as safe as you’d like, you can take EC.
If you’re not familiar with the kinds of EC available or how they work, let me direct you here for some solid, basic information.
If you are familiar–because you’ve taken it–I would love if you would share your story in comments. Was it hard to find? Was it expensive? Did you experience side-effects?
Whether or not you’re familiar: educate yourself and the women and men that you love–dudes can buy EC, too!–and at least check and see if your pharmacy carries EC, so you know where you go if/when you need it. (If they don’t? Maybe consider changing pharmacies.) Connect with Back Up Your Birth Control on Facebook. You can also always donate your time and money to PP, NARAL, or many of the other organizations that are helping women keep themselves safe and sexually healthy.
Hump happy, my sisters. Make a Plan. Back it Up.
Had to take it while in university in 1998 – condom broke. Easy enough to obtain in my Ontario city, but man, the side effects… I had bad cramps, naseau, headache — basically didn’t leave bed for two days after taking it. And the kicker — I’ve got PCOS, so probably wasn’t necessary, but since I didn’t know about the PCOS at the time, better safe than sorry.
I’ve taken it twice, both times for broken condom incidents. I was a student, and our health center would dispense it to women 18+ for about $30, but only to the person who was using it–a man couldn’t pick it up for his partner, a friend, or just to have around in case something happened. This is a concern in some but not all pharmacies.
The first time I took it, it made me nauseated, but I didn’t have any other problems. The second time I was fine taking it but spotted earlier than my normal period. Other than that I had no side effects.
i took it twice. back when i was 19 (i am 30 now. i got a hold of them at planned parenthood which was right around the corner from where i lived at the time. i also had no health insurance, was going to school full time and it was easy to just go in and get what i needed quick! the first time i took it, i was given a dose of 4 BC pills to take 2 times in one day. that made me horribly sick but it was better than getting pregnant. The second time i was given the dose that is now given i think it was one pill or just two in one day. that one didn’t make me sick at all.
I’ve taken a couple times now – I’m a huge worry wort – in the past 3 years. The first time I took it was before the generic, so it was really expensive, especially because I was in college at the time. My boyfriend tried to pick it up for me while I was in class but they wouldn’t sell it to him. When he took me back later that day, we tried to do the drive-through at the pharmacy because I was embarrassed, but couldn’t since they needed photo ID. Actually taking the pills was kind of a pain, having to take the second pill exactly 12 hours after the first (which meant I had to wake up in the middle of the night to take it)and I experienced some side effects, mostly cramping.
The later experiences weren’t as big a deal. I got over myself and my embarrassment, the generic was significantly cheaper, and there was only one pill which was a lot simpler.
(In the UK, so slightly different scenario – it’s not threatened over here.) I’ve taken it three times – twice early on in a long-term relationship when I was 20, and once recently. All from condom breakages/coming off. It also walloped me with cramps and nausea and sent me to bed for a couple of days the first two times (after the second, I thought sod this, and went on the pill for the next ten years, while I was in the relationship) but the more recent time, 13 years later, no side-effects at all. It’s available here over the counter at pharmacies, no doctors involved. This latest time I was quite surprised at the cost of about £30 (about $50) – I don’t remember it being that expensive before.
I have never taken it myself, but in the mid-90s, a friend of mine needed it after a condom slipped off upon withdrawal (For the love of Maude, HOLD THE BASE when pulling out, y’all!)
Our student health center refused to prescribe Plan B or carry it at their pharamacy, because at the time it had not gotten FDA approval for that specific use, which the state university system used as an excuse not to carry it even though all private practices would prescribe it. This was because I went to school in Virginia, where Jesus and slut-shaming still dominate the debate about reproductive rights, and Jesus’s friends in the state legislature didn’t want to enable us dirty, dirty college sluts to have sex without consequences.
Anyhoo, with the clock ticking, we found a local doctor who would prescribe the drugs (then dispensed as essentially an overdose of hormonal BCP). My friend took them, and they made her really nauseous and barfy, which required lots of holding back of hair and a follow-up call to the doc in the middle of the night for an anti-spasmodic drug to stop the heaving. It was pretty unpleasant, but she didn’t get pregnant and that’s what mattered.
I’ve been told that the form of Plan B you can get now doesn’t cause the same level of nausea, but if I had to take it, I’d definitely ask the doctor to write me a scrip for Compazine just in case.
Here in Canadia-land, access to EC is determined by provincial law. Both provinces I have lived in during a time when I needed to get EC allow pharmacies to dispense it without a prescription, but you need to have a consultation with the pharmacist — thus, dudes are not in fact able to buy it, not here. The reason for the consultation is that they want to make reasonably sure you’re not already pregnant, by asking you about when you had your last period, since taking EC in the early stages of a pregnancy could lead to a miscarriage and its attendant complications. However, I have also seen pharmacists take the consultation as an opportunity to inform you that you are a slutty slutty slut, which I HATE because if a girl is (for example) trying to obtain EC after a non-consensual encounter, the LAST thing she’s going to need is a big pile of judgement. Even in the best of circumstances, it’s condescending and awful. Pick your pharmacist with care.
I have never had any side effects from EC (which I have taken twice, after condom breakage/slippage). Plus I didn’t get pregnant either time I had to use it. I am therefore a huge fan of EC.
I’ve taken it twice, once for sexual assault (sigh) and once for a broken condom. The first time it was given to me in the emergency room and I had mono so I couldn’t differentiate those side effects from any EC ones. I’m very sensitive to hormones generally, plus the second time I forgot that it’s AFTER 5 days you’re supposed to get your period so I spent all that time freaking out.
The second time I went down to the local CVS pharmacy, asked for Plan B, received no judgment or ‘tude from behind the counter (bless you, crunchy granola liberal upstate NY) and it cost me $15-25, I don’t recall exactly. Painless, period cramps were no worse than usual though I felt a little sick to my stomach after taking both pills.
I am in Manitoba in Canada, I’ve had to use it twice 1
I am in Manitoba in Canada, I’ve had to use it twice 1
Okay seriously that was frustrating. Anyway I had no problems with it and no judgement asking for it.
I live in Mexico, and I’ve taken it twice. It is widely available at drugstores, you don’t need a recipe and it’s fairly inexpensive (ranging from about 5 to 10 dlls). Though I think there’s still some stigma and a lot of misinformation about taking it, but I never sensed a negative reaction from the pharmacists.
The first time I took it, it was the 2-pill packet and I experienced some nausea and cramps. The second time it was just one pill and I just experienced very mild cramps.
I live in BC, Canada and have taken it twice, once for breakage and once because my partner and I had been drinking and got *cough* carried away.
No side effects and even though it was a male pharmacist both times who had to ask me a short list of questions and tick off my responses on a card, he was cool and not at all judgmental. On one occasion, I expressed relief and appreciation of the pharmacist’s manner and he expressed a wish not be legally required to ask the questions in the first place.
I had to take it recently due to the condom slipping off inside me. I was only about a week and a half into my first pack of BC pills, so I figured it was better to be safe than sorry. I got it at my local Rite Aid in Maryland, with no judgment from the pharmacist (which was a pleasant surprise). Unfortunately, I got walloped with all the side effects: dizziness, nausea, abdominal cramps, chills, radical mood swings. Still better than being pregnant, of course, and looking back I am SO glad I took it.
I think the whole experience of taking care of a sobbing girl who could barely sit upright put the fear of God into my boyfriend and gave him a crash course in privilege. He was pretty sexually inexperienced, didn’t know some of the finer points of condom use, and had NO idea how much Plan B costs and how bad the side effects can be. Needless to say, he is almost obsessively careful about birth control now.
I am so glad that Plan B worked from everyone who has commented so far but I just want to remind people that it isn’t 100% effective (and I have friends with a 3 year old to prove that) so you still need to pay attention to your body afterward in case you do wind up pregnant.
I took it about 5 years ago, due to a broken condom before I had had a chance to see my doctor about regular oral b/c (I was living in a different city from my doc). I didn’t really have much in the way of cramps or nausea. I think it cost about $40, and the pharmacist was completely non-fuss about it… I don’t even remember being asked questions, though maybe I was. Also, I’m in canada
I stopped shopping at Target several years ago when they refused to give up their pharmacist refusal policy. I’m not interested in giving my money to a store that is willing to allow its employees to humiliate and intimidate customers. It is insane when employees can decide that their politics can override their employer’s merchandising plan. But then, it only happens with merchandise that helps women control our reproductive life, so really, how important is it? *scowls*
@Cait, If there is a next time (hopefully there won’t be, of course), you totes don’t need to do BC pills + EC together. I’ve talked with my doctor about it and she says it’s super duper overkill, because EC (or at least Plan B) is pretty much the same as taking a few regular BC pills at once. If you could contact your/a cool doctor, they can instruct you how many of your regular BC pills to take in one day to achieve the same effect as EC (if you were even that nervous about it) and then how to fix your “schedule” after that glitch.
Speaking of heavily restricting EC, a related thing I’d like to bitch about is: why can’t I stockpile my BC pills?? I want to buy a few extra packs, just in case I lose one or have to go on an extended trip more than a few miles away from my f&%$ing pharmacy. It drives me nuts that once I have one pack, I can’t go back to get the next one until THE EXACT DAY that I need to start that pack. I think this is probably mostly due to my dumbass insurance? In any case, it drives me cray-cray.
@mischiefmanager Tell it. Agreed.
This reminds me of when my friend in college (circa 2002, maybe) had to make an emergency doctor visit to secure some… and how it seemed like such a big deal then.
I myself took Plan B a few years ago when I stupidly had drunk unprotected sex. It was officially OTC to those over 18 by this point. I live in a big city and got it downtown, no problem. I didn’t experience any real side effects, which was a nice surprise.
It was 2008, the condom slipped off, Kansas (college town), Walgreens pharmacy, $40, zero fuss or judgment, no nausea, the cramps were on par with what is normal for my periods, but it was my perception that I started shedding hair like crazy for a few months after I took it. I was 36 and with the partner I would go on to marry. I felt like we should have been in a position to roll the dice, but knew we weren’t. After taking the first pill, I went and sat in the middle of a field at midnight and sobbed.
On the other side of the world (Singapore) the EC is prescription only and you have to see a doctor for it. There was no fuss/ judgement the 3 times I’ve had to obtain EC (from different doctors, male and female). One of the lady doctors suggested going on BC if I was going to have an active sex life, but that was it.
About USD20 for the 2-pill pack. I do wish it was available OTC here.
I understand that it is available OTC in other SE Asian countries e.g. Thailand and have friends stocking up on it OTC when visiting these countries.
I’ve taken it several times, some of them for it’s intended use. I have had bouts of dysfunctional uterine bleeding throughout my early and mid-twenties. For some of these, I went to the doctor who told me he could prescribe something to stop the bleeding (re. Being on regular bc pills wasn’t helping) but even with insurance, the deductible and copay for that particular med was way too expensive for me. The doctor suggested thy Plan B might perform the same function. The first couple of times I took it, I had to drive an hour to visit the nearest Planned Parenthood because the same doctor who suggested it refused to prescribe it. Then it became available OTC and as much as I hate shopping there, I easily bought it at Wal Mart. They were keeping it behind the counter inthe pharmacy but I didn’t have a hard time buying it. I never really had any effects from it even when I took it to prevent pregnancy. And it was an absolute godsend those months when I just couldn’t stop bleeding (I once bled for 35 days straight before I became so fed up I took two packages of Plan B).
As mysteriously as it began, I no longer have bad months like that anymore so I haven’t had to use it for a while but I absolutely would in a heartbeat if that bleeding began again.
@Tall: *hugs*
@Jenn: He told you to use it but wouldn’t write for it? What a douche.
I have a couple of questions about things in the article. You talk about how oral contraceptives “can be rendered ineffective” with antibiotics or that some women are just “really really fertile”….how would EC help in those situations? Wouldn’t it be more responsible and easier on the body to use another backup method rather than resorting to EC? And wouldn’t the woman probably not know about the oral BC+antibiotics ineffectiveness or about being “really really fertile” unless it was too late (i.e. she found out she was pregnant), thus rendering the use of EC moot?
Anyway, I had just moved to Austin TX from Oregon, and the condom broke. I just thought, ok, I’ll go to the pharmacy and get Plan B, and then I realized I’M IN TEXAS. Luckily Austin’s a liberal place, and I was able to get it from my local pharmacy with no questions or judgment but for $45. I just felt a little bit of nausea and fatigue, but my period was like 5 days late – probably because I was worring.
Recently I was at CVS to pick up some other prescription, and the girl in front of me got some EC. The elderly man behind the counter smiled and told the girl that she could go online and print a coupon for $10 off if she ever needed it again! How sweet! I wish I had known that.
I have taken de EC twice, the first time I had a huge headache, and suicide thoughts, it was very strange because I pass from happy but worry about the broken condom, to have the need of killing myself because my life was worthless. I had to remind myself that I feel this way because of the pill. I don’t know anybody with the same reaction.
The second time I took the pill and I went to climbing, no cramps and no headache, but my sweat smelled a lot, I suppose I was sweating the hormones but it was very weird. I have to take two showers in a row.
The first time I have to go to a doctor to get a prescription, but last year (with a lot of backlash from the right-wing) the law changed and I was able to go to the pharmacy and buy the pill without prescription.
And I live in Spain.
I’m glad that EC is available over the counter here in Australia from $AUD 20 – $AUD50.. and from what I understand, the pharmacist needs to ask a couple of questions, and that’s it.
I haven’t needed to take EC before. But in saying that, I’m glad that it is available to those that need it – and I hope that it is given with out judgement or shaming.
A couple of years ago, during my undergrad, there was some action taken on campus to ensure that all of the chemists provided EC, because one was not necessarily providing it.
PhDork – I’m definately going to find if my local pharmacist, where I get all my prescriptions filled, provides EC without judgement or shaming. If they don’t, I will definately be changing.
@rossignol: You talk about how oral contraceptives “can be rendered ineffective” with antibiotics or that some women are just “really really fertile”….how would EC help in those situations? Wouldn’t it be more responsible and easier on the body to use another backup method rather than resorting to EC?
Yes, it’s always best to use backup if you’re taking antibiotics (starting from the assumption, of course, that the sex is consensual). However, what if you’re taking them and using condoms and the condom breaks? No form of contraception—especially barrier methods—are 100% effective. EC may still be required. (That’s why it’s called Plan B…you may still need it even if you have a Plan A for contraception).
And wouldn’t the woman probably not know about the oral BC+antibiotics ineffectiveness or about being “really really fertile” unless it was too late (i.e. she found out she was pregnant), thus rendering the use of EC moot?
Possibly. Possibly not. She might find out about the antibiotics rendering the Pill ineffective after having sex but within the 72 hour window in which she can still take EC to prevent pregnancy. Maybe she knows it already and therefore knows a broken condom or slipped diaphragm means she needs EC.
@BeckySharper, thanks for the clarification! Those were possibilities that hadn’t even crossed my mind, which just goes to show how important EC is!
I’ve not taken EC (though would have had a less stressful January if I had – that turned out ok). So, having read that it is a good idea to have some around “just in case” and having had a recent “what if” experience I picked some up at our student health center for $25USD. Much to my chagrin it expires in July – which was 4 months from the date of purchase. If we’re really supposed to keep it in a sock drawer it’s going to need to have a longer shelf life than that….