Emergency contraception: What is it and how it works?

Women need access to secondary contraceptives they can use in case of failures of regular methods, or in cases where other methods are not suitable for them. Emergency contraception are methods that can be used after unprotected intercourse to prevent pregnancy. Emergency contraceptives are sometimes called post- coital or morning - after contraceptives. Several safe and effective emergency contraception methods are available. These include regular combined hormonal ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel contraceptives, simply given in a higher dose (the Yuzpe regimen), and the copper intrauterine device (IUD). These regimens avert approximately 75 to 99 percent of pergnancies expected among women seeking treatment. Levonorgestrel may also be used, and mifepristone is a promising antiprogestin that works well as emergency contraception.