Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About...
Safety
Do emergency contraceptive pills increase my risk of having an ectopic pregnancy (that's when the pregnancy is outside the uterus)?
No, there is no evidence to suggest that emergency
contraceptive pills (also known as "morning
after pills" or "day after pills") increase your
risk of having an ectopic pregnancy. Because emergency
contraceptive pills reduce your risk of pregnancy, they also reduce
your risk of having an ectopic pregnancy.
But ectopic pregnancies can still occur after a woman uses emergency
contraceptive pills. Symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy include
irregular bleeding, abdominal or pelvic pain, and dizziness, which
can also be side effects of using emergency
contraceptive pills themselves. Since it is hard for you to know
if these symptoms might be caused by the pills or an ectopic pregnancy,
you should contact your health care provider if you experience any
of these symptoms.
For information about possible side
effects after taking emergency contraceptive pills, click
here. You can also learn more about how they might affect your
monthly cycle here. A thorough and up-to-date academic review of the
medical and social science literature on emergency contraception is
available; click
here for the PDF .