I was just wondering if any of you had any experience with the emergency contraceptive pill called Plan B? How well did it work for you? Does anyone have any info to share? It was taken within 3 hours of the birth control "mishap", and yes there was another form of birth control used. A condom. Unfortunatly, it broke and was not discovered until after the deed was done. I was shocked to hear from my local pharmacist that the odds of a condom breaking during intercourse is 1 in 3!!! NOT good odds! So, I guess the next step would be getting on the birth control pill so there will always be 2 forms of birth control in the future, but in the meantime we are dealing with this. I am aware that it will not end an exsisting pregnancy, but can stop one from taking place if taken in the 1st 72 hours after your "mishap". I am just wondering if anyone has any stories of using this and if it worked or not. Hopefully there will be no reason for it, but it was a precaution just in case!
Ok, first of all, this question was asked not for MYSELF, but for an 18 year old girl and this was her 1st sexual experience. (as well as her boyfriend of 7 months) They BOTH freaked out, and were really, really upset because they did all of the "right" things, by which I mean they were in a comitted and loving relationship, waited until they both felt ready, and used a condom AND spermacide. Unfortunatly, the condom broke. Both of these young adults have really bright futures ahead of them, both having just been accepted into their 1st choice colleges, and even though I seriously doubt that this mishap would have ended in a pregnancy, they were insistent on doing whatever they could to insure that it WOULDN'T happen. They would have had a MUCH harder time if we were discussing abortion, but this is really to prevent the pregnancy in the first place, so it seemed a bit easier to deal with emotionally. Needless to say, neither one of them is in any hurry to be intimate again, at least not anytime soon, and THAT is what is making me so sad. I find it heartbreaking that this is what they will always have as their "first time" memory. Very responsible and great young adults who just had a really bad experience. I am hoping that it all turns out ok for them and they can move on with their lives without too much of an emotional scar, because I know without a doubt that these 2 people will be have a great future after college! Thanks for the replies. I just wanted to get as much info for them as I could.
I took it once. The only thing I have to comment on, is that it really messed with my periods for a few months after taking it, so be aware that can happen.
I have taken it - twice. It made me feel a little sick to my stomach. That was all. But, I was in your shoes. Birth control failed. What are you gonna do? I never ended up getting pregnant either. Both times, I had taken it the very next day. This was many, many years ago. Both instances were very far apart.
From Plan B's website it it will prevent pregnancy in 7/8 women who take it who otherwise would have become pregnant. Your pharmacist is way off base - the rate of condom breakage isbetween 0.4% and 2.3%, while the rate of slippage is between 0.6% and 1.3%.[50](Wikipedia). The risk of pregnancy when condoms are used properly and every time is 2%/year. The rate in most populations (I guess people decide not to use them every time) is 10-18%/year.
I used this years ago when it was first out as an option in an emergency. I guess it's been about 16 or 17 years at this point (damn I feel older every day!) -anyway, not sure if it's still the same, but at the time they gave you a bunch of super high-powered birth control pills (they were huge -like horse pills) that you took at different times. I *think* I took two one morning and then two more that evening and two more the next morning? Anyway, I never got pregnant, but it did make me REALLY sick for a few days -nauseated, which can happen on birth control. It's the hormones in it.
PLan B is now just one pill, as far as I know ( I Work as a clerk in a pharmacy and have heard the counseling given for it several times). It is basically a months worth of BC pills in one pill...so it upsets the hormone balance and makes implantation less likely to occur.
No BC method is 100% effective...except abstinence and I know that is not a logical discussion to have with most young people, BUT I do not believe that 1/3 of condom use ends in failure...I think that Pharmacists "mis-spoke".
I Would suggest that they might want to call Ask A Nurse or some other health information source and talk to them about it.
I don't have any information about Plan B, but wonder if the condom was the right size. I recall very few breaking.
There are failures with every kind of BC.
My son was concieved while using condoms, spermacide, and the pill (taken religiously for years - and no, not meaning just on sundays).
My niece (2 months old today!!!) was adopted by my son's uncles because she was conceived through a broken condom & Plan B. (Bio mom is a nursing grad student, it's not like she wasn't being responsible or did it "wrong".).
Most of the time birth control works. Sometimes it doesn't. But most of the time.... it does.
Condoms do not break that often, the pharmacist was wrong. I have been using condoms for 5 years (with hubby, so used roughly 400 condoms so far) and only ONCE did it break and my daughter was concived :) So 1/400 is alot less the 1/3, and the reason it broke, still new to putting them on and had too much air in the tip end.
Birthcontrol and maybe practice putting a condom on a banana a few times (practice makes perfect). First time, you forget most of what happened if you are no longer in a relationship with the person, but good for them on being cautious... if you are not ready to handle having a baby yet (because everything can fail) then they should not be having sex (even if you have the urge).
Just what I know... its really only about 70% affective. I got pregnant with my daughter after taking the Plan B pill exactly as directed.
I had to take it in high school once, back when it was the 2-pill form. It made me extremely nauseated and I threw up all over the school parking lot (and on my boyfriend at the time's shoes--serves him right for not wearing a condom, right!? haha). But I didn't get pregnant!
I have never used it, but my older sister who had a simmilar mishapa few years ago used it successfully. She had no issues, no side effects etc. I think it is a good option for those who have run into an issue like this and I agree with you that it is birth contol time as well, but remember if you are sexually active you must expect the possibility of "making a baby" even with bc & condoms in use ... I got past both forms of contraception.
If she is pregnant then Plan B won't work, period. But if she used it as soon as she could prior to 72 hrs after intercourse it is a huge likely hood she will not be pregnant. I took it 10 hrs after an "oops" I was ovulating and I did not become preggers, no cramping, nothing. Got my period regular time following mon th. I think they were very responsiable and there really shouldn't be a moral issue here as it isn't the abortion pill it just prevents a pregnancy before fertilization. Sorry they also have this as their first memory but once the scare is over they'll feel better. College bound and ready to conquer the world.
