Emergency contraception: modern methods and folk remedies. Questions

In our freedom-loving age, no one would even think of condemning sexual relations outside of marriage. Today this is a common phenomenon. But only every medal has back side, as the saying goes. Chaotic sexual intercourse can lead to severe consequences, or in a fit of passion you will not be able to use the proven one. Emergency contraception will be the best solution in this situation.

The concept of "emergency contraception"

Emergency contraception- This is an excellent backup method in case the main one fails. Just one cherished pill and there is a chance to avoid an abortion or. However, these emergency contraceptive pills should not be taken as everyday contraception, but only in extreme situations. It is advisable not more than four times a year, since these drugs contain large doses of hormones and their mechanism of action is based on the “chaos of menstruation”.

Emergency contraception is urgent measures, which you need to use if:

There were doubts that it worked traditional method contraception, for example, interrupted sexual intercourse;
Had unprotected sexual contact;
The condom ruptured or the condom slipped off;
Were not accepted contraceptives for two days in a row;
Rape and other similar cases have been committed.

Emergency contraception methods are used during the first three days after sex. This is taking tablets that contain 1.5 milligrams of levonorgistrel (emergency medicines contain it). birth control pills"Escapelle", "Pastinor") or 30 mg of ulipristal ("Dwella"). The device can also be used as an emergency contraceptive. This should be done on the fifth to seventh day.

How emergency contraception is taken

One pill of emergency contraception in the first three days will help avoid unplanned conception. "Escapelle" can be used for four days, "Adwella" - 120 hours.

If you have taken emergency contraception, then during subsequent sexual intercourse you will need to continue taking oral contraceptive pills. Emergency contraception does not replace traditional means from pregnancy. The use of this drug does not exclude the possibility of protection against sexually transmitted diseases.

What side effects do emergency contraceptives have?

The following side effects may occur when using emergency contraceptives:

Nausea;
Appearance bloody discharge between menstruation;
Vomit;
Pain in the area of the mammary glands;
Headache;
Formation of blood clots with existing varicose veins;
Disruptions in the menstrual cycle;
Dizziness;
Changes in the abundance of menstruation and their duration.

Most women can use emergency contraception safely. They can be used even when breastfeeding. Emergency contraceptive pills will not harm either the pregnant woman or the fetus. However, if you already know you are pregnant, you should not take them. They will not terminate an existing pregnancy.

Contraindications to taking emergency contraceptive pills

Severe migraines;
Age over thirty-five years;
Advanced liver pathologies;
Predisposition to uterine bleeding;
Tendency to thromboembolism;
Long history of smoking.

Intrauterine device as a means of emergency contraception

An intrauterine device can also act as a means of emergency contraception. It must be implemented no later than 5-7 days after an unprotected sexual contact. This will prevent unwanted pregnancy.

This method is more reliable than emergency contraceptive pills, but its use must be kept in mind individual characteristics every woman. Of no small importance is her desire to use this method of contraception for further protection from pregnancy, and possible contraindications.

It is not recommended to use a spiral nulliparous girls. In addition, you should not do this when large quantities sexual contacts and casual relationships. If you want to insert the IUD, but have had inflammatory diseases of the genital organs in the past, then you need to start taking antibiotics 5 days before its insertion and continue using them for 5 days after that.

Unplanned pregnancy today is actual problem not only for young girls, but also for women who have long reached mature age. Most of the fair sex, in order to avoid the occurrence similar problem take care of in advance possible pregnancy, resorting to using contraception. However, there are often cases when a woman needs to take emergency contraceptive pills.

When to use emergency contraceptive pills

The harm of such drugs is undeniable, but, despite the fact that most women are informed about this, they still remain in modern world quite popular. Moreover, in certain cases- this is really the only way out of this situation. It is worth noting that in any case, before using them, you must consult a professional gynecologist. It is worth considering the most common cases of emergency intervention:

sexual intercourse was performed without using protective equipment;
sexual intercourse was interrupted untimely;
during sexual intercourse, the condom turned out to be defective and broke or slipped off at the wrong time;
the girl was forced to have sexual intercourse without using contraceptives.

By the way, this problem very relevant for mothers who recently gave birth to their baby and are still breastfeeding. In this situation, you can use emergency contraception, but only if you stop feeding for about a day. During this time, all substances of the drug that are dangerous to the health of the newborn must be removed from the blood.

Names of emergency contraceptive pills and other rapid contraceptives

It is worth taking a closer look at the most effective, affordable and popular means to instantly protect women from unwanted pregnancy.

"Escapelle". It's quite new drug, acting as emergency contraception. The effectiveness of its action is determined 96 hours after unprotected sexual intercourse. The sooner you take the pill, the greater the chances of eradicating the problem. initial stage. One of positive qualities given medication - great content levonorgestrel, which means there is no need to take the pill again
"Postinor". It has not yet lost its popularity, but today it is the drug with the largest number of side effects. As a rule, after unprotected sexual intercourse, you need to take the first tablet of the drug within 48 hours, and after 12 hours, the second. Moreover, the effectiveness of the medicine directly depends on the timely taking of the second pill.
"Ginepriston" and "Zhenale". They are one of the most widely used and available drugs today. It is worth noting that they are used not only as emergency contraception, but also as contraceptives, immediately before sexual intercourse. Professional specialists The medical field considers them absolutely harmless.
When monitoring pregnancy up to 6 weeks, after a woman has experienced delays in her menstrual cycle, Mifegin is used. It is worth considering that this drug may only be administered by a licensed gynecologist.
Finally, after the first 5 days after unprotected intercourse, it is quite effective to insert intrauterine device. In no case should the IUD be inserted if the girl was forced into sex, as the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases increases.

For many ladies, the question is relevant: will birth control pills affect emergency action(urgent) for the formation of the baby’s fetus, in the event that it was still not possible to terminate the pregnancy with their help? Medical professionals mostly agree that these drugs do not have any effect on the health of the unborn child, and there is no need for an abortion. True, if the pills are taken when fetal cell division has begun active phase, there is a high probability of miscarriage.

It is worth noting that if the name of emergency contraceptive pills is unfamiliar, in any case you should not take them without consulting your doctor - a gynecologist - this can seriously affect the health of the woman’s body. Emergency contraceptives and pills are under no circumstances recommended for use in the following situations:

for severe and chronic diseases liver, kidneys, and bile ducts;
after previous jaundice;
at a time when pregnancy has already occurred (there is a high probability of miscarriage);
in case of allergies to certain components of the medicine.

When a woman takes rapid birth control pills, she may often experience side effects. It is worth highlighting the most common of them:

disruption of the menstrual cycle for approximately one week;
bleeding from the vagina;
feeling of tension in the mammary glands;
severe headaches accompanied by dizziness;
nausea and vomiting, and sometimes diarrhea;
unpleasant pain in the abdomen (lower part).

Even if you take medications such as instant birth control pills on your own, without consulting a doctor, you should not be embarrassed or afraid to come for an examination to a gynecologist. The fact is that pregnancy, as such, cannot be called a disaster. It would be a serious problem if the girl also became infected with any sexually transmitted disease.

That is why, after performing unprotected sexual intercourse, you should donate your blood for analysis so that professional workers doctors carefully checked her and gave an appropriate conclusion. However, in any case, it is necessary to protect yourself from pregnancy in advance if this phenomenon is undesirable for a woman, so as not to subsequently take emergency contraceptive pills and not harm your body.

Emergency contraception (the names of the drugs will be given below) is used to prevent unwanted pregnancy in cases where other methods of protection were not provided for this. Exist various options, which a woman independently chooses for herself.

Operating principle

Products that belong to this category must be used for a short period of time after the end of sexual intercourse. Before the beginning intimacy there is no need to use them, since the desired effect will not be obtained. However, even after the end of sexual intercourse, they should not be abused often, as they can cause considerable harm women's health.

The main principle of the action of emergency contraception is that the components included in the composition have a significant effect on the body, thereby preventing the egg from attaching to the uterus after fertilization, and as a result, pregnancy simply does not occur.

The final result depends on the time when the woman took the drug. It can give the desired effect within 3 days. In the future, you will not need to use emergency contraceptive pills, since pregnancy will occur and everything will be pointless.

The effectiveness of these funds ranges from 70 to 98%. None of the manufacturers can give a 100% guarantee that pregnancy will not occur. IN medical practice There are cases when, after using the drug, the egg still attached to the uterus and pregnancy occurred. Negative influence the drug has not been detected on the fetus. Deviations in development in children do not occur due to the fact that a woman used one of the methods of emergency contraception.

Target

It is thanks to this method that you can help a woman childbearing age reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies, and ultimately the number of abortions. Of course, it is better to choose the lesser of two evils. And if in the future you have to commit a kind of crime in the form of an abortion, then it is better for everyone possible ways avoid pregnancy.

There are cases when sexual intercourse occurs under duress, then various drugs emergency contraception is used as a measure of protection against unwanted fertilization and psychological trauma, which will be connected with this whole situation.

Therefore, it must be noted that fire protection should only be used in rare cases and after conventional means become ineffective. Thanks to these methods of protection, a woman can be more confident that pregnancy will not occur.

When to use

To many girls reproductive age Emergency contraception may come in handy at any time. It is better to resort to these methods infrequently, but there are cases when you cannot do without them:

1. After voluntary sexual intercourse, in which the partners did not use other means of protection.

2. In moments when standard options contraception fails partners:

condom slipping or breaking;
when misuse calendar method to prevent fertilization (it often happens that when making calculations, partners incorrectly determine safe and dangerous days);
the man failed in time, after which the sperm ended up in the vagina;
missing more than three days of using oral contraceptives.

3. In case of involuntary sexual intercourse.

Any woman can use emergency contraception after sex. It is allowed to use these products during breastfeeding (it is necessary to maintain an interval of 8 hours between taking and feeding). It should be noted that hormonal drugs that help prevent pregnancy are not advisable for young girls and adolescents, since their hormonal background.

Hormonal agents with levonorgestrel

Emergency contraceptive pills, which contain a very high dose of progestogen, are taken differently. Some remedies will only need to be taken once, while others will need to be taken several times. This directly depends on the drug that will be used, this scheme will definitely be described in the instructions for use. It often looks like this:

the first pill, which contains a very large amount of the hormone, is drunk within 3 days after the end of sexual intercourse, and the other is not needed at all;
one tablet is taken for 3 days, and the second - half a day after taking the first.

The main representative of this group is familiar to many women - this is “Postinor” ( international name the drug sounds like “Levonorgestrel”). This is completely synthetic agent It perfectly prevents the onset of fertilization, as it causes significant changes in the endometrium, so eventually implantation of the egg becomes impossible. An analogue of "Postinor" is "Escapelle".

Studies have shown that Postinor is effective in 85% of cases. On the first day of use after sexual intercourse, the effectiveness is 95%, if you use the product on the second day, then 85%, and on the third day it is only 58%. Many doctors call this remedy“medicine of the past”, since it causes very serious consequences.

Mifepristone

This group refers to the best emergency contraception methods. These medications are also hormonal. To prevent fertilization, it is enough to take just one tablet. A woman must fulfill this procedure for three days after the end of the act of intercourse, which was not protected.

A fairly popular example of this category is Ginepristone. It is considered the best because it modern drug safer than the previous one, but there are still side effects and contraindications. The drug, depending on what phase of the menstrual cycle it was taken, actively inhibits ovulation or does not allow the fertilized egg to join the uterus. Other medications containing mifepristone are Agesta, Zhenale.

Alternative method emergency contraception involves taking several combined oral contraceptive pills in a larger than usual dose.

Their use should be carried out according to the following scheme: within twelve hours from the moment of intercourse, take tablets so that the total amount of ethinyl estradiol is 200 mcg, and levonorgestrel is 1.5 mg.

The main representatives of this category are the drug "Silest" and its main analogues - "Miniziston" and "Rigevidon".

It is not advisable to use this category of emergency contraception when breastfeeding. Women can simply stop this procedure, as the lactation period will be shortened. The product can also significantly deteriorate the quality and reduce the quantity of milk.

Intrauterine contraceptive method - copper-containing device

To prevent unwanted fertilization, you can resort to another option, namely, inserting an intrauterine device. In order to obtain this device, you must consult a doctor, and the procedure must be performed as quickly as possible after sexual intercourse has been completed. Often the period during which this remedy can be used is 5 days.

An intrauterine device is small size a device made from copper and plastic. It significantly reduces the lifespan of the egg, and also prevents it from attaching to the lining of the uterus after the fertilization process. The effectiveness of the spiral is 99%.

Myths

It should be noted that there are many entrenched myths about emergency contraception in society:

After unprotected sexual intercourse, you can prevent unnecessary pregnancy using folk remedies. Of course, this is a myth. Any douching, physical exercise or hot baths will not help in solving this problem, since sperm enter the uterus a few minutes after ejaculation. It should be noted that minimal amount sperm can also be released during sexual intercourse.
After using these drugs, the next time you conceive, the child may be born with developmental abnormalities. This is, of course, fiction. There are many emergency contraceptive medications available, and none of them affect subsequent pregnancies or fetal development.
The drugs cause changes in the figure, as well as weight gain, this is a myth, and minimal weight gain can be caused by contraceptive methods long acting.
Components in this category are allowed to be taken continuously. This is still not true. These drugs are recommended for occasional use only, as they are not approved for use as long-term protection.
The effect of emergency contraception on periods is deplorable. This statement is not entirely true, since the drugs do not completely disrupt the cycle, but can only cause a slight delay.

It should be noted that what formerly a woman If you use this drug after unprotected sexual intercourse, the higher your chance of not getting pregnant. Experts say that this technique is an excellent backup option only when standard contraceptives do not work.

Contraindications

Since anyone can purchase emergency contraception without a prescription, you need to know who should not use it, so you must first consult with your doctor. The main contraindications may be:

age under 16 years;
pregnancy;
increased sensitivity, and allergic reaction in a woman to the components that are part of the product;
severe liver failure.

Some drugs must be taken with caution if there are problems with the biliary tract, liver, Crohn's disease, chronic heart failure, lactation, and arterial hypertension.

Side effects

Happens in women and bad feeling after taking emergency contraception. What negative symptoms there are are described below:

nausea in 23-50% of cases;
dizziness in 11-17%;
6-9% of girls vomit;
general weakness is observed in 17-29% of the fair sex.

Among the most common consequences of emergency contraception, uterine bleeding can also be noted. It may begin within a few days after taking the drug. U certain girls On the contrary, there may be a delay of 5-7 days.

The reaction of each organism is absolutely individual. They also meet allergic manifestations, breast tenderness and diarrhea.

Women who decide to use a copper-containing intrauterine device may also experience side symptoms. Mainly, there is pain in the lower abdomen, exacerbation of inflammatory diseases of the uterine appendages and blood discharge from the genital tract. It happens that the installation of a spiral is accompanied by perforation of the reproductive organ.

Folk remedies by emergency assistance doesn't exist, so don't even look for them. Hot baths, lemon slices, and decoctions of bay leaves will not help get rid of an unwanted pregnancy.

Before you start using emergency contraception methods, you need to carefully weigh the pros and cons. The funds cannot be called completely safe. Before using them, it is recommended to determine the day of the menstrual cycle. For example, if sex occurred a few days after menstruation or a couple of days before its onset, then such drugs do not need to be used, since, most likely, ovulation simply did not occur. This process falls approximately in the middle of the cycle, but there are still exceptions.

Flaws

The use of drugs in this category is safe only at the very beginning of egg attachment. It is advisable to take the first dose, according to gynecologists, no later than eight hours after sexual intercourse, although the packaging indicates that there are three whole days for this.
Not all drugs are completely safe for women's health, they have many contraindications, so their use is allowed no more than 2 times a year.

You must first select the time for taking the drug so that it is convenient to take a second dose, if necessary (for example, 21:00 and 9:00).
To prevent such discomfort, as vomiting and nausea, it is recommended to start taking tablets in the evening immediately before bed, during a meal, and wash them down with milk.
During a period that lasts until next menstruation, it is necessary to use barrier methods of contraception.
We must not forget that these options are intended for one-time use, but as permanent contraception It is recommended to choose a remedy in consultation with your doctor.
If the expected menstruation occurs a week late, you should definitely contact your doctor to rule out pregnancy.

In a fit of passion, many couples forget about contraception, deliberately do not use them, or use them incorrectly. Nevertheless, such “playing with fire” often leads to unwanted pregnancy. Emergency contraception may help in this case. However, women's parts often suffer from such help.

What to do if everything happened by accident?

First of all, there is no need to panic. This will only make the situation worse. In addition, you should not immediately run to the bathroom and do douching. This practice will be useless in 99% of cases, since the part that gets into the vagina almost instantly ends up in the cervix. And even one lost cell already increases the risk of pregnancy.

You should not resort to others folk methods contraception. Using lemon, potassium permanganate and boric acid It will only harm your sexual health and will not protect you from pregnancy.

Usually, used in tablets within 72 hours after unprotected intercourse. After this time, the effectiveness of such protection decreases, and its further use is simply pointless. If you take the drug within the first 12 hours after sex, it will significantly reduce your chance of getting pregnant. Moreover, after some time, taking the drug is often repeated to consolidate the contraceptive effect.

Facilities emergency contraception mostly suppress hormone production, responsible for ovulation and a woman’s ability to conceive. By the way, conception itself occurs in the first 72 hours after sexual intercourse. That is why it is important to take the pill before the end of this period, before pregnancy occurs.

Is emergency contraception always necessary?

Not every sexual intercourse ends in conception, even with complete abandonment of contraceptives. The fact is that the birth of a new life occurs only during the period ovulation– during the release of the egg from the ovary into the fallopian tubes. This process is relatively rare and very short: the egg does this only 1 time per month and is located in fallopian tubes about 24 hours. After this time, the egg simply dies.

Since the egg lives only for a day, a woman is actually unable to become pregnant on other days of the menstrual cycle. However, in practice pregnancy can occur when having sex on any day of the cycle, even during menstruation. But the probability of conception will be significantly lower than during the period of ovulation.

As a rule, in women with an even menstrual cycle, pregnancy does not occur if sexual intercourse occurs during the non-fertile phase (in safe days). Typically this period lasts from 1st to 7th, and also from 20th to 28th day(provided that the cycle is constant and its duration is 28 days). In this case, you can refuse funds at your own peril and risk emergency contraception. However, the likelihood of pregnancy will be much higher.

What are the methods of emergency contraception?

Typically used to prevent pregnancy oral medications containing hormones. Emergency contraception- these are funds based levonorgestrel (Postinor, Escapel, etc.) And mifepristone (Agesta, Zhenale). In addition to them, drugs with ulipristal acetate, which also prevent conception. The mechanisms of action of the listed contraceptives are somewhat different. However, despite this, they are all effective in preventing pregnancy.

Besides emergency medications used to prevent pregnancy combined oral contraceptives (COOK). As a rule, COCs are used on an ongoing basis as contraceptives. But in emergency cases, if the woman has not previously taken them, these drugs can be used to prevent conception.

Note that emergency contraception includes not only pills, but also intrauterine device with a contraceptive effect. However, to get the latter, you need to install it within 5 days after intercourse, since then its effectiveness will decrease significantly. However, it is not recommended to install a spiral nulliparous women. In addition, this method of contraception requires the intervention of a doctor.

The dangers of emergency contraception

Emergency contraception dangerous for women's health, especially if drugs of this group are used more than 2 times a year. First of all, welcome similar means- This serious blow By hormonal system. By interfering with the balance of hormones, emergency contraceptives can lead to a temporary cessation of ovulation, and then completely infertility.

Moreover, the imbalance female hormones using emergency contraception leads to decreased bone density and early menopause . Due to the frequent use of these drugs, the level of and, responsible for mineralization, decreases bone tissue. A decrease in these two hormones in a woman’s body promotes development, which significantly increases the risk.

In addition, in half of the cases of taking “emergency” contraceptives, uterine bleeding , similar to menstruation. However, women may experience severe pain lower abdomen, vomiting, nausea, headaches, and pain in the mammary glands.

Special danger presents during breastfeeding. Usage hormonal drugs in this period may harm the baby's health, since part of the drug enters the child’s body with mother’s milk.

The intrauterine device also has a lot of disadvantages. Its long-term use increases the risk gynecological diseases . In this case, the IUD itself can grow into the uterus and cause many complications. In addition, its installation is not suitable for every woman. And the procedure itself requires careful preparation with tests and diagnosis of the pelvic organs.

Advice for women when using emergency contraception pills

To avoid harming yourself when using emergency contraception, you must adhere to the following recommendations.

Don't use the funds emergency contraception more often than once every six months.
Second tablet emergency contraceptive should be taken exactly 12 hours later. A delay of 2–3 hours can significantly reduce the contraceptive effect.
To avoid nausea and vomiting, it is recommended to take the tablets with milk or big amount water.
In the future, take care of barrier contraception methods (it is better to use condoms, caps, etc.).
If your period is late, you should visit a doctor, as this may indicate pregnancy due to the ineffectiveness of contraceptives.
For supporting hormonal health and maintain bone density, take natural ones. For these purposes, an excellent supplement is suitable, which preserves even with long-term use of COCs and products emergency contraception.

For young mothers after the appointment contraceptives You should stop breastfeeding your baby for 36 hours so as not to worsen the baby’s health.

USEFUL TO KNOW:

ABOUT JOINT DISEASES

Emergency (urgent) postcoital contraception is carried out after unprotected sexual intercourse (within 1-3 days) to prevent unwanted pregnancy.

Usually used for emergency contraception hormonal method(antigestagens, gestatens) or intrauterine contraception(intrauterine device insertion).

Emergency contraception is used if:

rape has been committed;
unprotected sexual intercourse occurred;
interrupted sexual intercourse was performed incorrectly;
the condom broke during sexual intercourse;
other similar situations.

Hormonal method

Attention! Before using the drug, carefully read the instructions for use. It should be remembered that with a large number of sexual acts, the effectiveness of the drug decreases.

1) Antigestagenic drugs

Gynepristone or Agest - a modern hormonal postcoital drug. Compared to Postinor, it is almost harmless. Used within 72 hours after unprotected intercourse.

2) Progestin drugs

Escapelle is an exclusive new means for emergency contraception. Recommended for use within 96 hours after unprotected sex. The earlier the pill is taken, the more effective it is.
Mifegin (Mifepristone) - a modern drug that is used to perform medical (non-surgical) termination of pregnancy for a period from the first day of missed menstruation to 8 weeks. To carry out this procedure, you must contact a gynecologist licensed to use the drug.
Postinor - hormonal drug for emergency contraception from the “last century”. The earlier the pill was taken, the more pronounced the contraceptive effect. Postinor contains a very high dose of the hormone levonorgestrel, which has a very noticeable impact on the ovaries. Therefore, after using the drug menstrual cycle may be violated. This drug should not be used more than 2 times a year and should not be considered as one of the possible contraceptives! This especially applies to young women under 18 years of age whose hormonal balance has not yet been established. .

After taking emergency contraception:

your next period may start earlier or later than usual;
menstrual flow may be more abundant, in which case you should consult a doctor;
be sure to consult a gynecologist before the start of your next menstruation to be examined for sexually transmitted infections; at the appointment, tell them that you used emergency contraception;
if three weeks after taking emergency contraception you have not started menstruation or have signs of pregnancy, immediately visit a gynecologist;
if pain occurs in the lower abdomen, you should immediately consult a gynecologist;
Before the next menstruation, it is necessary to use barrier methods (condom).

Contraindications:

thromboembolism and uterine bleeding in the past;
severe liver diseases;
severe attack of headache (migraine);
age over 35 years;
long smoking history.

Possible side effects of hormonal emergency contraception:

headache;

pain in the mammary glands;

stomach ache;

various menstrual cycle disorders;

thrombosis.

Side effects of emergency contraception usually decrease or disappear completely within two days.

Due to the possible damaging (teratogenic) effect of hormones on the fetus, medical abortion is recommended if emergency contraception fails and pregnancy occurs.

Intrauterine contraception

Intrauterine emergency contraception involves the insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD) in the first 5-7 days after unprotected intercourse, which prevents implantation of an already fertilized egg.

The method is somewhat more effective than the method of hormonal emergency contraception, however, when using it, one should take into account the individual characteristics of the woman, her desire to continue to use this particular method of protection against unwanted pregnancy for a long time, as well as all possible contraindications to the insertion of intrauterine devices.

Emergency insertion of intrauterine devices is not recommended for young nulliparous women, as well as for large number sexual contacts and partners, during casual sexual intercourse. If a woman wants to get an intrauterine device, but has been sick often in the past inflammatory diseases genital organs, you need to use antibiotics immediately before inserting the intrauterine device and in the next 5 days.