Morning After Pill

Zava checks its emergency contraception treatment prices against competitors on a regular basis to ensure it is always competitive. We’re convinced you won’t find the same quality treatment and comparable service for less, but if you do within 14 days of purchase, we’ll refund the difference. All you need to do is contact us and tell us where you found the cheaper price.

Most women find, that their next period arrives as usual, but it might be late or early. If your period is not as expected, more than a week late or if it is unusually light or short, speak to a doctor to check if you’re pregnant.

It comes in a single dose, so you just take one pill with a glass of water. Both work in similar ways, ellaOne works on progesterone receptors to stop progesterone working normally, Levonelle simulates progesterone (and so does Generic Levonelle). Essentially, they both act on or as the female sex hormone progesterone and so trick your body into thinking that you have already ovulated.

You can take Levonelle until up to 72 hours (3 days) after you have had unprotected sex. The morning after pill is more effective the sooner you take it. You can take ellaOne until up to 120 hours (5 days) after unprotected sex.

If you feel uncomfortable talking to someone face to face, you may prefer to get the morning after pill online via a remote consultation using an online doctors service, like Zava. The price, availability and convenience of getting an emergency contraceptive pill will vary from place to place, so it's important to decide which option is the right one for your situation.

You can get both the emergency contraceptive pill and the emergency IUD (intrauterine device, a small plastic and copper device that's fitted directly into your uterus for up to five years) for free from:

• your GP;
• any GUM or sexual health clinics
• any family planning clinic
• any young persons' clinic or Brook Advisory Centres

Additionally, you can also buy the morning after pill (but not the IUD) from:

• most NHS walk-in centres
• some A&E departments
• some pharmacies.

Some pharmacies participate in an NHS backed scheme to make the morning after pill freely available to all under-25s.

For your GP: Yes, you will need to book an appointment in advance if you want to get the pill from your GP, but be sure to tell the receptionist explicitly that this appointment is urgent. No appointment is necessary for walk-in centres, pharmacies and A&E departments (although A&E should be your absolute last resort).

For clinics: The protocol with GUM, young persons' and family planning clinics varies from place to place, so you're advised to check your local clinic's website, or give them a call. You may have to make an appointment (it's usually possible to book an immediate appointment), or sometimes they run drop-in clinics where you can just turn up. These are usually held at the same time each week, (like 12- 2pm Mondays & Thursdays, for example) but again, there will be a specific timetable published online somewhere that you can check.

If you don't have time to go to a clinic, or you'd just prefer to avoid the embarrassment, it is possible to purchase the morning after-pill over the counter from a number of stockists. Although you might want to do your homework first, as prices can vary quite significantly. Some estimates include:

• your local or high-street chemist (£25)
• your local Marie Stopes International Centre (£30).
• online doctors/ pharmacists ( Zava sells levonelle for £19.99 including postage and packaging).

If you're under 16 you will not be able to buy the morning after pill over-the-counter and will need to go to your GP, GUM, walk-in or family planning clinic directly. Additionally, most online doctors and pharmacies will not sell any medication (including the morning-after pill) to anyone under the age of 18 for legal reasons.

The likelihood of getting pregnant after unprotected sex highly depends on your cycle. During the first two days of your period, your chance of getting pregnant is virtually zero. After those two days, the likelihood increases daily, reaching up to 30% around the time of ovulation during your most fertile days. It is impossible to know for sure whether you are currently able to conceive or not, which is why it’s better to be on the safe side and take an emergency contraceptive if you do not want to fall pregnant.

If you decide not to use a morning after pill and it turns out you are pregnant, your remaining option is an abortion. One way is an abortion pill, they contain a stronger dose of hormones and have side-effects including bleeding, contractions and abdominal cramps. Many women who choose to have an abortion also experience emotional problems as a result of the treatment.

The morning after pill is for emergencies only. Try not to take it too often - for example, if you’re bad at remembering to take your contraceptive pill, talk to your GP or family planning nurse about other options of contraception (such as implants, coils, injection etc). If you miss a pill, use a condom to be protected.

According to media coverage, a growing number of women appear to be buying and taking the morning after pill regularly. Doctors are clear that they do not recommend regular use of the morning after pill. Its effects on long term fertility and health are unknown because it wasn’t designed to be taken that way.

There are many scaremongering stories in the press which suggest that taking the morning after pill can have adverse long-term health effects. When taken correctly, i.e. only in a genuine emergency and not as a regular form of contraception, the morning after pill will have no adverse effects on your health in the long term, as a 2010 report by the World Health Organisation confirms.

The WHO also found that some women had been confused and frightened by factually incorrect reporting on the contraceptive pill and its implications in the media. The contraceptive pill has very few risks associated with it, in both the short term and the long term. Yet, the WHO found that misconceptions about the morning after pill had stopped some women from taking the morning after pill when they most needed it.

Yes. You can get ellaOne for free on prescription from your GP. You can get Levonelle free from contraception centres, some pharmacies (often they will insist that you swallow the pill there and then in the pharmacy), most sexual health clinics and walk-in centres, most GPs, Brook Centres and some accident and emergency departments.

A World Health Organisation (WHO) report in 2010, found that a far lower number of women than you might expect use emergency contraceptive pills. In the UK, over nine out of ten women had heard of the morning-after pill, but less than one in ten had used it in the previous year. The WHO believe, that the reason why only a small number of women take contraceptive pills in the correct way is that, in general, even in developed countries, women tend to have low levels of understanding about pregnancy risk, fertility and contraception.

If you're under the age of consent, it will not be possible for you to buy the morning after pill over-the-counter, you will need to visit your GP, a NHS walk-in clinic, GUM or family planning clinic. This is because, if you are having under-age sex, your doctor or health adviser will want to talk to you to discuss the relevant contraceptive options, and ascertain whether or not you fully understand the implications of having a sexual relationship.

No, your GP or doctor is forbidden by law from disclosing this information to anyone else so you don't need to worry about anything getting back to your parents.

If you require emergency contraception, you have three choices. You can choose between the emergency pills Levonelle and ellaOne or have a coil fitted. You can take Levonelle for up to 72 hours after having sex. Levonelle is available via our online service and we can offer a next day delivery if you order before 4pm (please bear in mind that the post does not deliver on Sundays).

If you had intercourse more than 72 hours ago, you might decide to take EllaOne. This morning after pill needs to be taken be taken within 120 hours (5 days) after intercourse and is very effective within that window.

Alternatively you can consider having a intrauterine device (IUD), also referred to as “the coil”, fitted. The coil will need to be fitted within five days but has the advantage, that it will protect you from unwanted pregnancies from there on - until you choose to have it removed.

Most women can take the morning after pill Levonelle. This includes women who are using the regular contraceptive pill, patch or ring and women who are breastfeeding (just try to avoid breastfeeding for 8 hours after taking it). However, if you are suffering from a severe digestive condition, your stomach might be unable to absorb the active ingredient and the morning after pill won’t work. In this case, you can have a coil fitted for emergency contraception or have the ellaOne instead. You also need to inform your doctor if you have ever had an ectopic pregnancy.

However, there are some further limitations around ellaOne. According to the faculty for Sexual Health and Reproductive Care, women who have severe asthma, insufficiently controlled with steroids; women with severe liver problems; women who might already be pregnant; and women who have hereditary issues with lactose metabolism, shouldn’t take ellaOne. As always, you should speak to a doctor if you have any concerns and let them know about all your medical conditions and treatments.

There are no long term side effects associated with Levonelle, but you might feel a bit sick, get a headache or stomach ache, feel dizzy or get sore breasts after taking it. You may also notice some vaginal spotting. The same short term side effects are most common with Ellaone, along with some changes in mood, period pain, pelvis and back ache. Less is known about the exact effects of ellaOne on long term health, but it is not known to have any serious long term side effects.

If you throw up within three hours of taking Levonelle or ellaOne, it might not work properly. If this happens, please contact you doctor, who will advise you on whether you should take a second dose. If it’s too late to take Levonelle (i.e. it has been more than 72 hours since the unprotected sex) you can have a coil fitted instead.

The following types of medication interact with Levonelle and/or ellaOne can reduce its effectiveness:

• St John's Wort
• Stomach acid reducing medicines e.g. Omeprazole
• Some tuberculosis medicines
• Some HIV medicines
• Some epilepsy medicines

If you are taking any of these medications and want to take an emergency contraceptive, you will need to discuss your treatment with a doctor and ensure you mention any medication you are currently taking.

Yes. The morning after pill won’t protect you against future pregnancies, you’ll need to keep using preventative types of contraception to avoid this. If you are on the pill, you should carry on taking your pill as usual after you have taken Levonelle, but in addition you should use condoms or a different barrier contraceptive for at least 9 days. (This is because the morning after pill can interfere with the regular contraceptive pill.) If you take ellaOne, you should wait for 5 days before starting your hormonal contraceptive pill again and also use a barrier method like condoms for up to 14 days.