Contraception aims to prevent pregnancy. A woman can get pregnant if a man’s sperm reaches one of her eggs (ova). Contraception tries to stop this happening by: keeping the egg and sperm apart. Postinor 2 is one of the many emergency contraceptive pills used for this purpose. Postinor-2 is not intended as a regular method of contraception. It is used to prevent pregnancy when taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse. It is estimated that Postinor-2 will prevent 85% of expected pregnancies.
May I wait 72 hours to take the pill?
Not at all! The sooner the better: The earlier you take the pill, the higher the chance to prevent pregnancy. Some people call emergency contraceptive pills “day after pills”. Well, you don’t have to wait until the day after. You can take POSTINOR after sex pill right away or use it up to three days after unprotected sexual intercourse or if you think your birth control method failed.
How to take Postinor?
Postinor 1 is a single pill: There is 1 pill in the pack. You have to take the Postinor pill within 72 hours of having unprotected sex. (for 2 tablets version of Postinor: take the second tablet exactly after 12 hours after the first.) Take it as soon as you can, the sooner the better! The sooner you take it, the more likely it is to work. Ideally, you should try to take the tablet within 24 hours following unprotected intercourse, as this is when it is most effective. The efficacy of levonorgestrel emergency contraception pills depend on how many hours have passed since you had unprotected sex. If you’re worried about the possibility of an unplanned pregnancy, it’s important to act now rather than waiting till later. SEE: How To Spot Fake Postinor 2 Pill
Do not take Postinor 2:
- If you’re already pregnant, because it won’t work although it will not harm you or your fetus.
- If you’re allergic to levonorgestrel or other ingredients in POSTINOR.
- Postinor won’t protect you from HIV infection (the virus of AIDS) or other sexually transmitted disease (STD).
How often can I take Postinor?
It’s not a regular method of contraception. Try to use it rarely, in emergency only. But never forget: it has much less side effects and health risks than abortion pills or hospital abortion. Generally speaking, you should not take it more than once within one menstrual cycle. If Postinor is used more than once in a menstrual cycle, it is more likely to upset your menstrual cycle (period). Postinor does not work as well as regular methods of contraception. Your doctor, practice nurse or family planning clinic can tell you about long-term methods of contraception which are more effective in preventing you from getting pregnant. SEE: Can I Take Postinor 2 Twice In A Week?
If you are pregnant
Emergency pills do not work if you are already pregnant and will not harm an established pregnancy or the baby. If you think that you are pregnant, see your doctor or family planning clinic as soon as possible. If you have already taken Postinor once since your last period and you now find you are pregnant, do not take Postinor again.
Effect of Postinor 2 on babies
Most drugs taken by the mother are excreted in small amounts in breast milk. It is extremely difficult to predict the effect of a maternal drug on the child. Postinor-2 is one of drugs that have been identified in breast milk. It is not recommended for use in breastfeeding women due to its unpredictable side effects on babies.
How do I know it has worked?
You will know Postinor has worked when you have your next period and it seems like a normal period.
The 10 Side Effects of Postinor 2
Common side effects are:
Tiredness: There are several drugs that can cause tiredness or fatigue and Postinor 2 is one of them. It is not uncommon for users of Postinor 2 to feel excessively tired after using this drug.
Nausea: Nausea is the sensation of an urge to vomit. Nausea can be acute and short-lived, or it can be prolonged. When prolonged, it is a debilitating symptom. For many women who use Postinor 2 nausea is a common side effect.
Vomiting: Vomiting (also known as puking, throwing up, barfing, emesis, among other names) is the involuntary, forceful expulsion of the contents of one’s stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. Vomiting has been reported as one of the side effects of Postinor 2.
Stomach pain: Some patients taking Postinor 2 have reported experiencing stomach pain. This includes Pain from inside the abdomen or the outer muscle wall, ranging from mild and temporary to severe and requiring emergency care.
Diarrhoea: Another common side effect of the Postinor 2 pill is diarrhea. Diarrhoea is when your bowel movements become loose or watery. The definition of diarrhoea is passing loose or watery bowel movements 3 or more times in a day (or more frequently than usual). Diarrhoea occurs when the lining of the intestine is unable to absorb fluid, or it actively secretes fluid.
Headache: A common side effect of Postinor 2 is headache, which is defined as a pain arising from the head or upper neck of the body. The pain originates from the tissues and structures that surround the skull or the brain because the brain itself has no nerves that give rise to the sensation of pain (pain fibers).
Tender breasts: Hormones can cause your breasts to swell and can lead to tenderness. It’s normal to have breast tenderness that comes and goes around the time of your period due to hormonal fluctuation, same applies when you take Postinor 2. This drug can make your breast tissue feel bumpy and dense, especially in the outer areas. You may have a feeling of breast fullness with tenderness and a heavy, dull pain.
Increased vaginal bleeding: This is one side effect of Postinor 2 that many women find very discomforting. Some people who take postinor 2 experience light bleeding or spotting for up to 1 month afterward, and this goes away on its own. The side effects of postinor 2 on menstruation is mostly restricted to delay and heavy bleeding.
Skin reactions: Like many medications, Postinor 2 use can result in allergic skin reaction. Drug rashes also don’t tend to cause any other symptoms besides their appearance, though some are accompanied by itching or tenderness. You can usually separate a drug rash from other rashes since they tend to coincide with starting a new drug. But in some cases, it can take a drug up to two weeks to cause a rash.
When do you have to turn to your doctor?
- If your period is more than 5 days late, or unusually heavy or light.
- If you are still worried that you are pregnant.
- If you have sudden or unusual pain in the lower abdomen and your period is late.
- If you have any concerns about your health or about the methods of contraception that is most suitable for you.
What to do if I vomit after taking the pill?
After taking the emergency contraceptive pill, a few women (approximately 1 out of 100) will be sick (vomit). If you vomit within 3 hours of taking postinor, you need to take another Postinor pill. So, go back to your pharmacist, doctor or family planning clinic for another packet. If you are sick more than 3 hours after you originally took the tablet, you do not need to take postinor again. SEE: Difference Between Postpill vs Postinor 2
