Emergency Contraception Bell CA

Neglected to use a condom or miscalculated your "safe days?" Don't stress out. Emergency contraception, also known as the morning-after pill, gives women some extra options, and a new one may be coming soon.

If you're weighing your options about backup birth control, here's 10 frequently asked questions answered by experts Jennifer Wu, MD, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, Melissa Gilliam, MD, associate professor and chief of family planning and contraceptive research at the University of Chicago, Mary Rosser, MD, Ph.D.,  assistant professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, and Dr. Svetlana Kogan, MD, founder of the Doctors at Trump Place in New York City.

1. First off, what's the deal on ellaOne, the newest morning-after pill?

Sometimes called Plan C, ellaOne was launched last fall in Britain. If it's approved for use here in the U.S., it will offer more protection against pregnancy than the other emergency medication since it works for five days after sexual intercourse. Though ellaOne is considered effective for longer than the morning-after pill already on the market, don't expect to see it here right away. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the last word on whether it will be approved, though an advisory committee supports the drug. "ellaOne is very encouraging," Gilliam says, "because it could prevent more unwanted pregnancies, even at five days after intercourse."

2.  How does the current morning-after pill work?

The current morning-after pills, Plan B, One Step, and Next Choice, generally need to be taken within 72 hours of having unprotected intercourse. The medication typically consists of two pills of progestin, a hormone, and thickens a woman's cervical mucus and makes it hostile to sperm. This thick mucus blocks sperm and prevents it from fertilizing an egg. It's not an abortion pill, since no egg gets fertilized. "The pill alters the wall of the uterus to make it less receptive to an egg," Wu explains.

3. What are the possible side effects? 

Nausea and vomiting are not uncommon, and you can also expect some breast tenderness, headaches, and dizziness. If you're worried about feeling queasy and throwing up, you can take an anti-nausea medicine before taking the first pill.

4. Is it ever not safe to take the morning-after pill?

It's generally considered safe for everyone to take, Wu says. Some women worry that if they've been told not to take birth control pills, they should not take the morning after-pill, but experts say this is not the case. The morning-after pill does contain the same hormones as birth control pills, but these hormones don't remain in a woman's body over time as they do with birth control pills. Millions of women have used the morning-after pill without serious complications.

5. Is taking the morning-after pill sort of like having a very early abortion?

Absolutely not. "This is probably the biggest ...