How Often Can You Take The Morning After Pill?

Before we explain how often you can take the morning after pill, it’s important to understand what they are and how they work.

Emergency contraceptive pills including ellaOne and Levonelle (levonorgestrel) work by mimicking natural hormones which ‘tell’ your body to delay release of an egg (ovulation), which:

• happens about two weeks after your previous period (exact timing changes month by month, and from one person to another)
• involves an egg travelling along the fallopian tube, and if it meets a sperm and implants into the womb, you will become pregnant

However, if you take a morning after pill, ovulation is delayed by at least five days, reducing your chances of getting pregnant and preventing the sperm from fertilising the egg.

Because of how they work, morning after pills are only effective if you haven’t yet ovulated at the time of having sex. This is why you may want to consider a regular form of contraception that prevents ovulation, such as the contraceptive pill.

When it comes to how often you can take the morning after pill, it depends on the type of emergency contraception pill you take.

You can take either ellaOne, Levonelle, or generic Levonelle (levonorgestrel) more than once per month. However, you cannot take Levonelle and ellaOne in the same menstrual cycle, if one was taken within the last seven days.

This is because the medications can counteract each other and reduce overall effectiveness.

How many times can you take ellaOne?

You can take ellaOne more than once in the same cycle and it will still be effective, but it will also increase your chance of getting side effects.

We recommend speaking to your doctor if you think you have taken ellaOne more times than you should, or if you are thinking of taking ellaOne again and have taken it recently.

How many times can you take Levonelle?

You can take Levonelle more than once in a cycle and it can still be effective. Multiple studies have looked into the effects of taking levonorgestrel (the active ingredient in Levonelle) multiple times in one cycle, and found no serious adverse events. However, taking it multiple times in the same cycle can increase the chance of getting side effects.

We do not advise depending on emergency contraception to prevent pregnancy. If you find yourself regularly needing to take Levonelle, you should consider taking other contraceptives.

➤ See this page for more information on contraceptives available at ZAVA.

Although you can take either ellaOne or Levonelle more than once in the same cycle and they will work, it’s not a good idea. Taking the morning after pill regularly can increase your chance of side effects and it’s better to use alternative forms of contraception instead.

However, there is no evidence that taking either ellaOne or Levonelle multiple times is associated with any serious health or fertility risks.

Is it okay to take the morning after pill twice in a week?

Yes, it is possible to take the morning after pill twice in a week, and there are no known significant health risks associated with doing this, although you may experience short term side effects.

If you have unprotected sex after taking a morning after pill (for example, two days later), the original pill will not protect you from pregnancy and you will need to take another one.

Remember, if you do ever need to take the morning after pill twice in one week, you should always take the same kind of pill (that is, take EllaOne twice or Levonelle (Levonorgestrel) twice – not one of each).

Can you take two morning after pills at once?

You should only take two morning after pills at once if advised by a healthcare professional. In most cases, a single dose is enough.

However, there are certain situations where a double dose is needed. For example, a 3mg dose of levonorgestrel instead of the usual 1.5mg may be recommended if:

• you weigh over 70kg or if your BMI is over 26, which can reduce the effectiveness of the pill
• you’re taking certain medications, like antiretrovirals, anti-seizure medications, or other enzyme-inducing medications that make the pill less effective

You will also be advised to take another dose of either Levonelle (levonorgestrel) or ellaOne if you’ve vomited within 3 hours of taking the first pill.

You should always consult your doctor or pharmacist to ensure that you're using emergency contraception effectively and safely.

Myths about the safety of the morning after pill

According to one survey, up to 50% of women in the UK said they had heard that taking the morning after pill too many times can cause fertility problems (even though this is not true). A study in America found that almost 80% of women were concerned about the long term negative health effects of emergency contraceptives (even though there’s no evidence for this).

Although the morning after pill is safe to take, there is still limited research on how safe it is to take it often. Though taking emergency contraceptive pills several times in your life should not cause any long-term health or fertility issues.

Generally speaking, you should only take the morning after pill as a form of emergency contraception, after unprotected sex.

When to see a doctor

You should let your doctor know if you’ve taken more than one morning after pill accidentally on the same day, taken more than one type of pill in the same cycle, or are experiencing any persistent or serious side effects from the morning after pill.

If you think you may be having an allergic reaction to your emergency contraception and have symptoms including difficulty breathing, a rash, or facial swelling, go to A&E straight away.

If you suspect that your morning after pill hasn’t worked properly, or if your period is more than a week late, you should also get in touch with your doctor.

While the morning after pill can sometimes cause a late or missed period, it’s a good idea to do a pregnancy test if your period is over 7 days late. For the most accurate reading, you should wait 3 weeks (21 days) after you had unprotected sex.

Although there is little evidence to suggest you shouldn’t take the morning after pill regularly, we recommend that you should avoid this because:

• it can lead to irregular periods, spotting, and changes to your normal menstrual cycle
• there’s no guarantee that the morning after pill will work every time
• it is much more expensive to buy emergency contraceptive each time you have sex, compared to other forms of contraception
• other forms of contraception are more reliable than the morning after pill
• it is more convenient to use regular forms of contraception, compared to having to go out and buy a morning after pill or having to keep ordering the pills online
• there is limited evidence on the long-term safety of taking the morning after pill regularly

While the morning after pill is an effective form of emergency contraception, it only works if you haven’t yet ovulated. If you’ve already ovulated and there’s a risk that the morning after pill won’t work, your doctor may suggest getting the copper coil (IUD) fitted at a fast-track appointment.

The IUD is the most effective emergency contraceptive, since it works immediately to stop fertilisation and pregnancy occurring. It can also be left in as a form of regular contraception as well. You can find out more about how this works in our guide to the copper and hormonal coil.

If you have been taking the morning after pill as a regular form of contraception, you should consider other options that you can use long term, such as the:

• contraceptive pill, like the combined pill or mini pill (progestogen-only pill)
• contraceptive patch or ring
• contraceptive implant or injection
• contraceptive intrauterine system (IUS) which is hormonal, or the copper IUD which is non-hormonal
• male condoms
• female condoms, the cap, or diaphragms

Many people around the world have taken the morning after pill to help prevent unwanted pregnancies. At present, there is no known limit for how many times you can take the morning after pill. If you need to take more than one morning after pill in one cycle, remember to always take the same type of pill.

Although other forms of contraception should ideally be relied on in the long-term, morning after pills are a very useful ‘backup’ in case you ever have unprotected sex, or you think your regular contraception may have failed.