Topic Tuesday: It is safe to take multiple birth control or morning after pills to end a pregnancy?

Good question – and we are so glad you asked before trying this. There is a lot of confusion regarding birth control pills, morning after pills (emergency contraception or “EC”) and the actual abortion pill, and what exactly they do. We will dive into some more details below, but the main difference between them is that the abortion pill WILL end an existing pregnancy, and birth control pills or emergency contraception will NOT end an existing pregnancy, they will only help prevent a pregnancy from occurring.

You should definitely never take more than the recommended daily dose of any medication, including birth control or EC, and doing this to end a pregnancy will not work.

The good news is, if you are pregnant and would like to end the pregnancy, there are some safe and effective options available to you. If you are worried about the financial requirements of an abortion procedure, there are financial aid programs available to those who qualify, and for many patients, the procedure ends up costing nothing out of pocket. If you would like to safely end a pregnancy, please call us or go online to schedule an appointment so we can help you.

If you had unprotected sex and do not want to get pregnant, it is important to take emergency contraception as soon as possible for it to be most effective. In addition to a few different types of EC pills, Paragard IUD is actually the MOST effective form of emergency contraception and can help prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex.

Now, let’s take a look at the differences between the abortion pill and emergency contraception pills:

Emergency Contraception:

• There are multiple types of EC, but neither will end an existing pregnancy
• Emergency contraception needs to be taken as soon as possible after unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy
• EC is a “back up plan” and should be used only when you need it to help prevent pregnancy
• EC can be purchased at pharmacies or acquired at a medical facility like FPA
• It should not be used as a regular form of birth control

The Abortion Pill:

• The abortion pill will end an existing pregnancy
• It cannot be purchased from stores or pharmacies, you must get the abortion pill from a medical facility like FPA
• It is a 1-dose pill combined with vagina suppositories which work together to end a pregnancy
• It is sometimes confused with EC but it is completely different

Have questions or need to make an appointment? Call (877) 883.7264 or visit our website to book an appointment online.