Private emergency contraception clinic in London, same-day women's health.

The three options

• The copper coil (IUD) is the most effective emergency contraception by a wide margin, and it works regardless of your weight. It can be fitted up to five days after sex, or up to five days after the earliest date you could have ovulated. It can then stay in as ongoing contraception for up to ten years, or be removed after your next period.
• Ulipristal acetate works up to 120 hours (five days) and is more effective than levonorgestrel, particularly close to ovulation.
• Levonorgestrel works up to 72 hours (three days). A double dose is recommended if you weigh over 70kg or have a BMI over 26.
• Both tablets work by delaying ovulation. Neither works if you have already ovulated, which is why timing and cycle stage matter, and why the coil is more reliable.

Afterwards

• You can start or restart regular contraception immediately after levonorgestrel, using condoms until it is effective. After ulipristal, wait five days.
• If you vomit within three hours of taking a tablet, you need another dose.
• Your next period may come early or late. Take a pregnancy test if it is more than seven days late, unusually light, or different from normal.
• Emergency contraception does not protect against sexually transmitted infections. Arrange a sexual health screen — chlamydia and gonorrhoea testing from two weeks, HIV and syphilis from four to six weeks with a repeat at three months.
• It does not affect future fertility, and it can be used more than once in a cycle if needed — though it is less effective than regular contraception.

Thinking about ongoing contraception

Needing emergency contraception is a reasonable prompt to review what you are using. Long-acting methods — the implant, the hormonal coil, the copper coil and the injection — are considerably more effective than pills, patches and condoms because they do not depend on remembering anything. We can discuss all of them and fit most of them the same day.