Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About...
How to Get Emergency Contraception
Should I get emergency contraceptive pills to keep in my medicine cabinet, just in case?
Yes, if you are sexually active (or plan to be), it’s a terrific
idea to get emergency contraceptive
pills ("morning after pills"
or "day after pills") before you
need them, so that you have them on hand.
Emergency contraceptive pills are more
effective the sooner you take them after having sex without using
contraception, birth control failure, or rape. You also have only
a short time during which you
can use emergency contraception
to prevent pregnancy. But if
you already have them in your medicine cabinet, you can start using
emergency contraceptive pills right away – without having to
get to your health care provider and/or find a pharmacy. (And the pills
don’t expire for several years, so you can stay prepared for
a long time).
For all of these reasons, the American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists – the leading professional association of doctors
who specialize in women’s health – recommends providing
emergency contraceptive
pills in advance. Even so, you might find you need to take the
initiative because few health care providers think to talk to their
patients about emergency
contraception.
Click here for more information about how to get emergency contraceptive pills.
For a thorough and up-to-date academic review of the medical and social
science literature, including efforts to improve women’s access
to emergency contraception, click
here 
.