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Emergency birth control (morning-after pill).(birth control pills for pregnancy prevention)
- Article from:
- Clinical Reference Systems
- Article date:
- May 24, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 McKesson Health Solutions LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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What is emergency birth control?
Emergency birth control, also called the morning-after pill, is a medicine that can prevent pregnancy if a woman takes it within 72 hours of having intercourse. It may be used when you have had unprotected intercourse (no birth control used) or have been sexually assaulted (raped). It may also be used when a barrier method of birth control has failed (for example, a condom breaks).
Exactly how emergency birth control pills prevent pregnancy is not clear. Some theories are that the hormones in the pills:
* cause changes in the lining of the uterus that prevent implantation of a fertilized egg
* prevent ...