Morning After Pill May Be Safe As Regular Birth Control

Scientists have found that taking the morning after pill around the time you have sex may be a safe and effective way to prevent pregnancy. But, considering how much misinformation is out there about the pill, it seems unlikely that it will be promoted as non-emergency birth control.

Reuters reports that 15 studies on levonorgestrel, the synthetic hormone used in most morning-after pills, were reviewed for a new report published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. In one year, women who took the morning after pill around the time they had sex had a 5% chance of getting pregnant, while women whose partner used a condom had a 16% chance. The morning after pill isn’t as effective as using patches or regular birth control pills, but it may be an appealing option for women who don’t have sex frequently enough to be on hormones year-round.

Currently the government discourages using the morning after pill as regular contraception, and considering that Walgreens won’t sell the pill to men and it still isn’t available for women under age 17, we shouldn’t expect a policy change anytime soon. There’s too much misinformation out there about emergency contraception being an abortion pill. Even if researchers prove it’s totally safe to use as long-term regular birth control, right-wingers will freak, even if a “day before” or “day of” pill would reduce the number of abortions.

Morning-After Pill May Be Ok For Non-Emergency Use [Reuters]

Earlier: Walgreen Still Refusing To Sell Emergency Contraception
Why The Morning After Pill Isn’t Over The Counter For Everyone