Morning After Pill: Side Effects And Risks

First off, though most women can use the morning-after pill, it isn't quite for everyone. If you take barbiturates or St. John's wort, are already pregnant, are breastfeeding, or are allergic to any of the components of the morning-after pill, you should consult a doctor before going ahead, even if you can buy the pill over the counter. Breastfeeding women should stick to levonorgestrel-based pills, as should those who suspect they could already be pregnant — these pills won't harm your pregnancy in that case, they'll simply do nothing.

Side Effects You Can Expect From The Morning-After Pill

Your side effects may include lower abdominal pain or cramping, "odd" periods or bleeding in between periods, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, headache, and breast tenderness. Note that not all women will experience these side effects. In fact, only 20 percent of users experience headaches, while up to 14 percent have painful menstruation during the cycle following the mroning-after pill and up to 12 percent experience nausea. Those who have side effects do almost always find that they do not last longer than a few days. If you experience nausea, anti-nausea medications can help you out.

It's important to be aware of these possible side effects so you don't panic about being pregnant, since the side effects are very similar to early pregnancy symptoms. Remember that pregnancy symptoms do not show up right after conception, but rather closer to the date of a missed period or even afterwards. Do know that you need to take the morning-after pill again if you vomit within two hours of taking it, because it's highly possible the pill will have left your system in that case.

Fortunately, the morning-after pill has not been found to lead to any more serious side effects, despite the fact that millions of women use them.

Your period should show up within three weeks of taking the morning-after pill. If it doesn't, make sure you take a pregnancy test. Women who notice severe, stabbing abdominal pain and bleeding along with diziness, lightheadedness or fainting around the time their period was due should head to the ER immediately. These symptoms indicate ectopic pregnancy, a pregnancy that develops outside of the uterus. This is not caused by the morning-after pill, but it can happen despite taking it in some case. Because ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening emergency, it's symptoms should always be taken very seriously.

What's Next?

If you have successfully used the morning-after pill to prevent pregnancy and you weren't using regular contraceptives, now is the time to look into birth control options. The birth control pill, Paragard or Mirena IUDs, Depo Provera, Nexplanon and/or condoms may all be good options for you. Head to your family doctor, OBGYN, or women's health clinic for a consultation.

READ Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Testing And Prevention

If you may have been exposed to sexually transmitted diseases during unprotected sex, you should also get an STD check up now. Most STDs can be treated easily, leaving no long-term adverse health effects, if you are quick. If you have more serious STDs such as HIV, you will also want to know about it so that you can pursue adequate treatment options.