The frequent side effects of emergency contraceptive pills include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fatigue, lower abdominal pain, irregular menstruation, breast tenderness and altered vaginal bleeding patterns.

@. Shibabrata Pattanayak

Emergency contraceptive pills ("morning after pills") have no long term or serious side effects, although you might experience some minor side effects. Emergency contraceptive pills won't work then, and using an IUD as emergency contraception could increase your risk of infection during pregnancy.

https://ec.princeton.edu/questions/ecsafe.html

Emergency contraception is used to prevent unwanted pregnancy after unprotected sex.

According to WHO, Emergency contraception are recommended for use within 5 days but are more effective the sooner they are used after the act of intercourse.

Emergency contraception (EC) can prevent up to over 95% of pregnancies when taken within 5 days after intercourse.

It can be used in the following situations: unprotected intercourse, concerns about possible contraceptive failure, incorrect use of contraceptives, and sexual assault if without contraception coverage.

Methods of emergency contraception are the copper-bearing intrauterine devices (IUDs) and the emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs).

Frequent and repeated ECP use may be harmful for women. Frequent use of emergency contraception can result in increased side-effects, such as menstrual irregularities, although their repeated use poses no known health risks.

Emergency contraception

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/emergency-contraception

How safe is emergency contraception? - PubMed - NCBI

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12167065/

Yes, safe, almost all women before sex can take contraceptive pills as an emergency procedure. Because there is no strong relationship between taking it and having a death, scientists and medical experts agree that there are no cases where the risk of the contraceptive outweighs on its benefits. Provided it's not overused.

Dear Colleagues,

Please let me know how we come to know that these are totally safe even in continuous use at the long run?

Dear Dr. Tomar,

Yes, you are right. BUT "PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE".

We can not let the businessmen/ Companies to extract money as per their own will with some hypothetical toxicity reports in exchange of our health.

If I am wrong, then WHERE IS THE REQUIREMENT OF ACTUAL RESEARCH?

Dear Shibabrata Pattanayak

Thank you for your question. It is a sensitive one ...like Barbara Sawicka I agree that all contraceptions have side effects. Various studies have shown the increased risk of cancer of the uterus (and other areas) in females who have undergone a forcefully terminated pregnancy. Does taking the morning after pill fall into this category?

Personally I feel we are not here to do with our bodies what we like.- and I would like to see the whole sexual act to be seen as sacred once again. We have gone from being prudish and Victorian to the idea that anything goes. For me any fertilised egg is already a living being - so what we do with and to life, will have consequences.

Warm regards Tina

I agree with Tina Lindhard :

"For me any fertilised egg is already a living being - so what we do with and to life, will have consequences."

Emergency contraceptive pills should be taken in emergency cases only.

A challenging question and an enlightening discussion thread. The link below may be useful.

https://intranet.bixbycenter.ucsf.edu/publications/files/IsECSafe_2008.pdf

These pills are not good for health. The frequent use must be avoided. However, in emergency it can be taken. These have number of side effects.

@ Dr. Shibabrata Pattanayak Sir

Please take a look at this useful link.

https://www.heartbeatinternational.org/pdf/Fact%20Sheet%20on%20Plan%20B.pdf

Thanks!

Dear Arvind Singh

Thank you for the link you provided. I suggest people read it. According to this link, although some feminists claim that the morning after pill gives them more control over their own bodies, it is men who are chiefly obtaining the pill for their girlfriends. Sometimes it is administered to them without their consent.

This whole topic needs to come to the attention of the public as many teenagers are not really aware of the moral issues or the possible harm they might be doing to their own bodies.

As I said in my last post, modern society has trivialised the sexual act .. materialistic science also has played a role in this with its idea that the material world (the brain) gives rise to consciousness. I feel it necessary that scientists begin to voice their concern when boundaries are overstepped - we do not all support the same model.

Woman's fertility (birth control methods) and lack of it (IVF) has become a multimillion dollar business!!! And this has moral implications.

Kind regards Tina

Dear Dr. Arvind Singh,

Thank you for the link supplied by you.

The long term continuous use, irregular use, combinational effects with other xenobiotic residues etc. subjects are carefully avoided during toxicity study of a drug.

This may have very strong chance to increase the risk of many fatal diseases among the users.

This subject needs proper emphasis for research.

Thanks.

SOME OTHER VIEWS:

……Delhi based gynaecologist Dr Indira Ganeshan advises caution. “If a woman is in a committed relationship, then getting carried away is a little irresponsible. Women should practise some better method of protection, not only from pregnancy but from STIs.” Dr Ganesan is concerned about an increasing number of women who are using the morning-after pill as an excuse not to practise safe sex in the first place. …… The lack of protection that EC offers against STDs is one of the main reasons why medical practitioners like Dr Ganeshan are wary about the increasing, somewhat indiscriminate, use…

…………Women are not fully aware that they have side-effects like nausea, headaches, fatigue, lower abdominal pain, breast pain and increased bleeding during periods.” Also, prolonged use of the drug could affect a woman’s fertility. “ECs should not be substitutes for the Pill because they do throw your menstrual cycle off gear and will obviously affect your fertility,” says sexologist Dr Mahinder Watsa.

One very important side-effect of EC is, surprisingly, pregnancy. This is more likely if you waited more than 24 hours after unprotected sex before seeking medical advice, or if sex took place more than once. According to netdoctor.co.uk, until recently, the standard advice was that the morning-after pill could be taken up to 72 hours after sex, but research has shown a significant chance of the pill failing to prevent a pregnancy within so wide a window. This is why doctors now advise that the pill be taken preferably within 24 hours.

From:

https://www.femina.in/fitness/health/is-the-morningafter-pill-really-safe-895.html

They can reduce tumor growth by clinical evidence. Benificial

Dear Dr. Da Yong Lu,

Your comment is very much surprising. Please add the source of your information.

I have little knowledge of those

Emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) containing hormones estrogen and progestin cause no serious complications or death. However, minor side effects include nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, breast tenderness, headache, dizziness, and fatigue. These usually do not occur for more than a few days after treatment, and generally resolved within 24 hours.

According to medical scientific reports, I think yes.

Dear Dr. YOGESH CHANDRA TRIPATHI and Dr. Isam Issa Omran ,

Introduction of ANY hormone inside a body system at a very high dose for a long time or at indiscriminate manner CAN NOT BE SAFE as per my knowledge.

The producer of such medicines may claim it, but all the hormones of the total Endocrine system act at feedback basis, ie, increase of one hormone act on production of that one and also of others in many cases. If increase of hormone/s inside the body system from external source repeats several times, it may have very deep detrimental effects on health. It may hamper normal secretion and/or action of these hormones in future, may cause cancer at latter stage of life.

Such researches are generally not performed. Such research projects are generally not funded.

I can recollect one research paper published at 1990s where it was proved that one metaboloite of D.D.T have a strong relation with early starting of periods of girls, increase rate of breast cancer etc. as it was a structural analogue of the hormone Estrogen.

We are perhaps hiding the wounds of leprosy by germents to prove that the person is not suffering from any disease.

I want to listen from my RG colleagues on that subject.

Regards,

Dear Dr. Ting-Ren Lu ,

How we came to the conclusion that it is safe?

Dear Dr. Da Yong Lu ,

Please add relevant link or PDF of papers related with the information that oral intake of high dose of synthetic estrogen / estrogen and progesterone combination acts as some anticancer medicine among cancer patients.

Regards,

Good learning for me The question is so conducive that session was found to be quite interesting

Dr K N Sheth

I do have a similar opinion as expressed by you earlier.

And Dr. Shibabrata Pattanayak , following this question of yours is purely a process of learning for me.

In this connection, I would further like to make the following comment.

In my personal opinion, there is a subtle difference between a drug and an Emergency Contraceptive (EC).

If you are ill, a drug becomes a necessity. In case of EC, the requirement is created by both of the partners involved in the process, mainly due to their own action / behaviour. I would rather be careful before creating an emergency like this.

I believe, you have also mentioned something similar in one of your earlier posts.

@ Shibabrata Pattanayak. Sir,

Side effects of the morning-after pill, which typically last only a few days, might include:

Nausea or vomiting

Dizziness

Fatigue

Headache

Breast tenderness

Bleeding between periods or heavier menstrual bleeding

Lower abdominal pain or cramps

https://www.mayoclinic.org/

I have no exact idea about this ECP, but I recommend Dr. Ekhlas point of view.

Regards,

Emad

There are now multiple options for emergency contraception, which is a safe and effective way to prevent pregnancy after unprotected intercourse, contraceptive failure, or sexual assault.

Emergancy Contraceptive EC pills can be used more than once during a single menstrual cycle, but the users should not rely on EC pills as a long-term birth control method. EC pills are not as effective in preventing pregnancy as using a birth control method consistently and correctly. There also may be more side effects from frequent use of EC than from use of a standard birth control method.

Emergency Contraception - ACOG

https://m.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Emergency-Contraception

What are the possible side effects of taking emergency contraception pills?

EC pills have not been shown to cause any serious complications. The next period may not occur at the expected time. Users may have irregular bleeding or spotting in the week or month after taking EC pills that goes away on its own. Other short-term side effects of EC pills can include the following:

Headache

Nausea and vomiting (especially combined EC pills)

Breast tenderness

Abdominal pain

Dizziness

Fatigue

While modern medicines can appear to have dramatic or desired affects upon first being taken, the random nature of modern medicines and their malevolent effects begin to operate. Although doctors insist tjhat such medicines remain benevolent over time the inherent problems emerge. There is no correct way to take these drugs. Other contraception should be considered.

I hate to throw in an old alarm into the conversation, but modern drugs often impress through marketing processes with the general public and via doctor's surgeries by the pharmaceutical companies. Claims for such drugs by pharmaceutical companies and doctors should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Stanley Wilkin

I do have a similar opinion, as expressed by you earlier.

Better to use it as an emergency use only. It may have some health related long term effects.

Please click this link (https://ec.princeton.edu/questions/ec-review.pdf ),

for a more detailed academic review of the medical and social science literature about emergency contraception.

not much knowledge in this area. Thanks for sharing Shibabrata Pattanayak

They all have side-effects.

Nothing is undoubtedly safe in the world.

A review on the extensively documented safety profile of ordinary oral contraceptives, and more than 30 years of clinical experience since hormonal emergency contraception was first described, give strong evidence for its safety and also confirms declarations by the WHO and the US FDA that emergency contraception has an excellent safety profile in nearly all women.

How safe is emergency contraception?https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12167065

Dear Dr. YOGESH CHANDRA TRIPATHI ,

Yes, it is well accepted thought considering the efficacy in the society.

But still answer of many question are not given by the experts.

What is the reason?

None can say that it is undoubtedly safe.

The most common side effects associated with emergency contraception pills include nausea, abdominal pain, fatigue, headache, menstrual irregularities.

They have issues but, we can say them genrally safe keeping in view there widely acceptance of use.

They must have an effect on the body since the brain controls body systems. I hope they do not disorganise the brain.