by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN………………………………….
Would of, could of, should of… in hind sight a condom would have been a great idea – but here we are… the morning after a whirlwind romance without any birth control…
Or maybe you were more prepared, but the condom wasn’t as effective as you had hoped! Why don’t they make those dang things stronger!
Don’t panic – there is hope.
First off – let’s take care of the current situation. If this is not a welcome situation, get to a pharmacy and purchase plan B as soon as possible. You do not need a prescription. It is sold over the counter. It is most effective if taken as soon as possible after “the incident”. If you think you might be pregnant from previous unprotected intercourse, take a pregnancy test first. If the pregnancy test is negative, take Plan B as directed.
Plan B is progesterone. The purpose is to delay the release of an egg until the sperm has left the body. It will not interrupt a current pregnancy nor will it help prevent a pregnancy if ovulation has already occurred. The idea goes like this… sperm can live in the vagina for approximately 72 hours. If there was a contraceptive mishap… we do not want the sperm to come in contact with an egg. If you have not already ovulated, Plan B will delay the release of an egg until the sperm has left the body. Thereby it prevents the egg and sperm from coming into contact and ever having the chance to fertilize. If you have already ovulated, Plan B will not help. This is NOT a birth control method. Frequent usage is not recommended. If you do not get your next period as expected, please take another pregnancy test. As mentioned above, Plan B will not prevent pregnancy if you have already ovulated.
Once the current situation is under control, please come see us to talk about a more reliable birth control. Let’s not make this a repeat event.
Please schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider to talk more about it. You can reach us at 770 751 3600.
