- Between 2017 and 2019, 28% of women aged 15-44 in the United States report having used emergency contraceptive pills at least once in their lives.
- Although emergency contraception is effective at halting unwanted pregnancies, sometimes pregnancies can occur.
- Researchers from The University of Hong Kong have found taking an emergency contraceptive pill with an anti-inflammatory medication helps prevent significantly more pregnancies compared to when the morning-after pill was taken alone.
In survey data from 2017–2019, 28% of female respondents in the United States aged 15 to 44 reported having used emergency contraceptive pills — such as the morning-after pill, also known as “plan B” — at least once in their lives.
Emergency contraceptive pills are most effective when taken as close to the time of intercourse as possible, although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advise they can all be used within
Nevertheless, some preparations have notably reduced effectiveness beyond 3 days.
Even with emergency contraception, pregnancy can still occur. And the longer a person waits to take it after intercourse, the more their pregnancy risk increases.
Now, researchers from The University of Hong Kong have found that taking an emergency contraceptive pill with an anti-inflammatory medication commonly used for arthritis pain helps prevent significantly more pregnancies compared to when the morning-after pill was taken alone.
This study was recently published in the journal
The morning-after pill is a medication that, in the U.S., women can take
The pill is mainly intended for people assigned female at birth who have unprotected penetrative sex or whose method of birth control has failed, for instance, by forgetting to take a birth control pill or when a condom breaks.
Morning-after pills mainly use either the hormone
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