How does the morning after pill?

Through an extra load of hormones, it delays ovulation, prevents fertilization and, if the encounter with the sperm has already occurred, prevents the egg from settling in the uterus. Thus, the pill prevents an unwanted pregnancy. The rescue kit consists of two pills with high doses of synthetic hormones, such as progesterone and estrogen. But it only takes effect if the woman takes the first pill within a maximum of 72 hours after sex. The second dose should come 12 hours later. The longer the delay, the less effective. “If the woman uses the pills in the first 24 hours after intercourse, the risk of getting pregnant is 5%. Two days later, it rises to 15%. In three days, there is a 40% chance of a pregnancy”, says physician Paulo César Pinho Ribeiro, from the Adolescence Department of the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics. The pack can be purchased at pharmacies, without a prescription, and found at health centers and public hospitals. But the morning-after pill should not become routine, nor should it replace regular contraceptives. If used several times in the same month, it messes up the menstrual cycle and its efficiency decreases. In addition, it does not prevent against sexually transmitted diseases. Use should be restricted to emergencies, such as in the case of sexual violence or when, at the right time, something goes wrong – if the condom breaks or the girl forgets to take the common contraceptive, for example.